The Deal
by Nintendocat
Summary: Amidst Frieza's invasion of Earth, Bulma escapes so that her  intelligence can't be used for evil. However, with Frieza aware of her  existence it seems impossible to escape his wrath forever. That is until she  makes a deal with a certain Sayian Prince.
1. Reflection of Paradise

**A/N: **Hello everyone. I decided to finally get around to posting this fic on here as well as over on the Bulma/Vegeta livejournal community. It's going to be an A/U, a sort of 'Bulma becomes Vegeta's slave' fic with a twist. Being A/U the characters will be somewhat different than their canon selves but I still try to keep their strong points so Bulma will still be strong willed and Vegeta will still be moody and cruel though in different ways than they normally are portrayed. There's going to be quite a bit of backstory at the beginning but I do hope that everyone will enjoy it.

**Disclaimer:** Dragonball Z and its characters belong to Akira Toriyama. I do not own them nor do I claim to.

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"We need to keep going, Bulma."

Bulma heard the voice of Chichi, her longtime friend and assistant, but ignored it, her teary blue eyes unable to tear away from burning city landscape that was once her home, her thoughts concentrating more on the events that brought about the downfall of her planet.

Earth was once a beautiful planet full of a multitude of different landscapes and various creatures, each unique in their own way. It was all so common, so plentiful, that the humans, the self-proclaimed higher life forms of Earth, often took it for granted. They never thought about how gifted they were to have such a bountiful planet. They never realized how freely they lived. They never thought about the possibility of other life forms beyond their own precious world.

However, in a single instant, their world changed completely.

From the sky, several ships, far more advanced than even their top scientists could begin to imagine, descended onto the planet. The doors opened up to reveal beings of several different forms and colors, all wearing a similar style of armor. Their leader, Lord Frieza, claimed that they were there to propose an alliance to open trade between the Earth and their home world. The Earth's leaders discussed the offer and decided that it was a wise decision to broaden their planet's horizons.

While most decided to boast about the Earth's natural resources, Bulma's Father decided to keep his most prized work, capsule technology, a secret. Instead he presented Frieza with other ingenious inventions such as a ship cloaking device and a ki suppressor both of which Frieza took great interest in. Meanwhile, fearing the worst, Bulma and her assistant Chichi stayed hidden and made an enhanced space capable ship. When Frieza showed his true intent and attacked, her Father destroyed all of the inventions and told her to escape; at all costs she couldn't fall into Frieza's hands.

Looking down she realized how much damage her body had taken while trekking through the mountain's rough terrain. Scrapes and cuts covered her body but the blood on her hands had been unconsciously self-inflicted, her tight fists causing her nails to dig into the flesh. Looking up, she saw the concern in her friend's eyes.

"Let's go, Bulma."

Looking back at her once beautiful home, Bulma nodded and followed her friend to the location where they could take off unseen.

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A/N: Well there's the first chapter. Though I suppose it's more of a prologue. Most chapters aren't this short but this one was based off a 400 word drabble. I hope that I'll eventually get to a point where this and Bizarre Earth Customs are posted every other week but that really depends on whether I have the time to write. In any case, feel free to review and tell me what you think. I love to hear the feedback and see if people are liking it or not.


	2. Missing Child

A/N: Okay guys, chapter two. We're still dealing with a lot of backstory but it's from a different viewpoint this time.

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Glass cracked as it was stepped on by the uncaring soldiers. They had no worries about minor cuts as the most important thing now was sifting through the remains of the lab to find anything that their leader could use. Failure was not an option unless one was ready to face death head on.

Frieza looked over his men from his hover throne as they continued to futilely try to find anything left behind after the fire. "It's a pity that Dr. Briefs could not see things our way, isn't it Zarbon?" he asked without looking away from the scene in front of him.

"It truly is, Lord Frieza. It's unfortunate that he was more concerned with the lives of insignificant worms than all the benefits working for you would have brought him."

"Yes, and though it is bad enough that he went and died preventing us from gaining any future work from him, but to also destroy all of the wonderful inventions that he had already presented me with, ooh it makes me so angry," he growled out. His voice, though calm, sent tremors of dread through his men's bodies.

Shortly after arriving on this previously unexplored planet, the natives had given him the 'grand tour', as they called it, of all the natural wonders that their planet had to offer. Ores and gems, fabrics, foods, animals, the list went on and on and the humans were only more willing to show off just as much the next day as the day before. It amused him really; it was like prey boasting about all the nutritional value that one would gain by eating it and truly not expecting a predator to devour it when they turned their backs.

They also showed off their 'achievements' as far as man-made technology went and though they mostly bored him by being so un-advanced he was truly surprised when an elderly man named Dr. Briefs came and presented him with his work. He showed off a cloaking device and his plans to enhance it to cover something as large as Frieza's ship. Next he talked about a theoretical machine that was able to suppress a ki even as large as Frieza's making it nearly unreadable by the scouters. While it was easy for one to boast about something they hadn't made, Dr. Briefs explained that the people of Earth didn't have a concept of ki or anyway to sense it so the idea was new to him and that he could have a prototype capable of hiding a smaller ki such as his own done the next day. Frieza was greatly impressed that not only did he bring the said prototype but also his own version of a scouter that he had used to test it. The potential that this scientist presented seemed endless and that fact was more than enough to decide that he was worth keeping alive when this façade of peace was dropped.

While the main part of his troops started the attack on the planet he sent two men to help Dr. Briefs move his things onto the ship so that he would be unhurt. However, he quickly received a report that the lab had been destroyed. Enraged, he flew in the direction of the Doctor's home shocked when it suddenly exploded into flames. His men quickly extinguished the flames but the damage had been done well before the explosion, most likely by the hand of the doctor himself. Every invention torn apart, every document shredded, and most surprisingly every photo in the house had had a portion of it burned away. It seemed that his work wasn't the only thing in this empty house that Dr. Briefs didn't want to fall into Frieza's hands. The only question was what, or who, that thing was?

"Lord Frieza," the voice of some unnamable soldier broke through his thoughts, "I've found something. It must have fallen behind the furniture." Handing over a slightly singed but intact photo to Zarbon, he waited until he was dismissed and then got back to work.

"It's just another picture of the young Doctor and his wife," Zarbon frowned while holding the image up so that his lord could see it. While it did show of that the doctor had been married years ago when he was younger, they had already seen enough pictures of the blonde woman to know that she wasn't the one the doctor had burned away.

"You are much too pessimistic, Zarbon, and far too quick to judge," Frieza said with a cruel smile, "I do believe that his lovely wife is holding something, don't you?"

Zarbon quickly scanned the picture again, his eyes widening as they landed on the bundle in the woman's arms. "A child?"

"Very good, Zarbon. Now tell me, did we find any other pictures with any children in them?"

"No sire."

"Now why would a doctor capable of making brilliant inventions hide the fact that he has a child? Could you possibly think of any possible reason for that, Zarbon?"

"Could… it be because the child is also a scientist?"

Frieza took the photo and sat back, looking at it closely, "Perhaps. After all if the child was dead or incapable of making things similar to what was destroyed, why bother hiding its identity? Unfortunately, this picture doesn't tell us much. The child is too young to have any distinguishing features. We can tell that Brief's hair was a light purple color at one point and that the woman's was blonde but with her eyes closed we only know the doctor's eye color was black."

"Not to mention that that picture was obviously taken years ago, Lord Frieza," Zarbon added, "after all the doctor is well on in years. According to the people we… interrogated the 'humans' tend to marry and have children when they are in their 20's to 30's and he was well into his 70's. That would mean that by normal standards his child would be in their 40's or possibly even their 50's."

"By normal standards doesn't confirm anything, Zarbon. No matter the species there are those that have difficulty breeding and those, like myself, that choose not to have children until much later in life. I do agree that the child would be older though since the doctor is fairly young when it was an infant but when exactly did he start to show signs of aging? Is it the same for every human?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know anything about that yet but I'll personally research the species until I can find you some answers. In the mean time, it's not like anyone could get away. No one on this inferior planet was even aware that there was life beyond their own and the only research they did was with unmanned droids."

"Once again, you don't really think things through, do you Zarbon?" Noticing his right hand man stiffen at that remark, he sighed. "Tell me, do you recall that this planet also didn't have the concept of ki before we arrived? And yet in less than a week's time on this planet, Briefs was able to not only make a ki sensing scouter but also a device that could make ki unreadable by our own. So in the month's time that we were here, is it not possible that a ship could have been made?"

"But the doctor was busy working on things for you, when would he have time to make something as complex as a ship?"

"Ah, but what if it wasn't he who made it? What if completely unseen to our eyes another person built a space capable ship and escaped unseen."

"How is that even possible? Surely someone would have seen a ship taking off since this area was in constant surveillance. How…," Zarbon's random questions were cut off by Frieza's glare.

"I don't know how it was done Zarbon but I do know who did it and what that person may be capable of. Another thing I know of is that if you don't find me any useful information about that person by the time the sun sets then I will be finding someone more capable to do your job for you after you are demoted, permanently," at Zarbon's flinch, he smiled. "Good luck."

After quickly saluting and flying off, Zarbon set about 'interrogating' more people for information. By the time the sun set he returned to give his report.

"An elderly lady told me that the Briefs had one child, a daughter, but she was home schooled, working in the lab or away most of the time so no one saw her. She was the lead scientist and apparently responsible for at least half of the work that came out of this company over the past 20 years. Bunny Briefs, which is the name of the blonde woman I believe, had died only recently from an illness. Since we've seen how old Dr. Briefs has become since that picture was taken I believe that it's also safe to assume that this Bunny also became much older looking over time. Ah, but I don't recall seeing any pictures of her looking older though."

"Neither do I but it may just be that the woman didn't want others to know about her age and manipulated her appearance to look younger."

"True, but even without knowing the exact age of the woman we can determine that the daughter must be at least in her 40's. My research says that most humans finish with a higher degree of education finish school in their early 20's before they seek permanent work so to say that she is younger than her 40's would be saying that the company was basically run by a child. Even if we were to say that studying at home meant that she finished her education earlier the youngest she could possibly be would be her late 30's."

"I suppose that's an accurate conclusion, for now." Frieza turned to look at the man kneeling before him. "Since you're already the most involved with this, I'll put you in charge of finding this woman. In the meantime, we've gathered an excellent amount of goods from this planet. Go and make sure that the cargo is being properly loaded."

"Did you decide about which ones to take as slaves, sir?"

"Yes I did. None of them are to my taste, but I'm sure they'll be worth quite a bit at Yapisha where they can be placed in brothels or purchased by nobles seeking private pleasures. We'll be stopping by on the way to Planet Frost to do business with the Sayians about the training equipment we offered them. Though that plan isn't going to work anymore."

"Ugh, the Sayians. I hate dealing with them, especially that bratty Prince. Always talking big like he can beat anyone or do things better than we can. I don't understand why you put up with his childish attitude."

Frieza chuckled at that. "You're so cruel Zarbon. You know that Prince Vegeta is turning 28 this year. And I put up with them because they are of use to me, just as you are. And we both know that I don't like destroying things that I still have use for. Now get out of here. I'd like everything to be taken care of so that we can leave soon."

"As you wish, Lord Frieza," Zarbon stood from his kneeling position and went to do his task, leaving Frieza alone smiling at the picture of the doctor and his family.

"Poor Doctor Briefs. A brave but futile effort to protect your precious daughter but you'll see that when I want something, there is no escape.

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A/N: There's chapter two. No Bulma or Vegeta this time but I think it's important to see all sides to know what's going on. Please review, I love to hear what you think.


	3. Sheltered Life

Bulma sighed as she put down her pencil so that she could wipe the newly formed tears from her eyes. So much had happened to her in such a small amount of time and though it would be a tough experience for anyone for Bulma who had lived in such a fragile, unchanging reality it was twice as overwhelming.

It wasn't her fault really. Her Father had always been suspicious of people he didn't know. Years before she was even born he had had trouble finding people that he trusted enough to not steal his inventions so he had pushed everyone away, choosing to run his company alone. It wasn't until he had gotten on in years that his closest friends the Ox King and Queen had introduced him to her Mother, a ditzy blonde by the name of Bunny. She had no ability in science and didn't have any desire to learn anything science related so they had gotten along swimmingly. They set up a home in the mountains nearby their friends and decided to start a family. A few years after Bulma was born her parents had realized that her intelligence had the potential to surpass even her Father's and worried that someone would try to take advantage of her decided to hide her away from the public as much as possible. Because of that, the only person Bulma had ever interacted with other than her parents and their friends was Chichi, the Ox King's daughter.

By the age of 6 Bulma had advanced enough to enjoy taking apart her toys and making new ones that entertained her and Chichi better. Dr. Briefs decided to take her with him when he went back to his laboratory so that Bulma could try her hand at working with the tools there and within 6 months she had become capable of designing more efficient equipment and engines to made his already brilliant inventions better for the masses. Business had increased so much that Dr. Briefs made her his lead scientist at the age of seven, though her real age was hidden from the public. Soon enough she had even mastered the schematics behind his prized invention he called 'capsules' and even found ways to make them capable of containing larger objects like small houses and airplanes.

From then on it was the same for Bulma. Sometimes her family would live in the mountains far from any other people while other times her Father would fly her to the city, use the inside landing strip, and she would get to work. Bulma never complained. She loved her work, had a wonderful family and had a great friend in Chichi who later became her lab assistant helping with the heavy work and errands. She learned about events in the world from media so she was always up to date on what was going on in the world.

Chichi had suggested that she should go out and meet other people, that it wasn't healthy to keep herself enclosed, but Bulma wouldn't do it. She had lost all will to meet others when she was 16. A thief had broken into the compound while she was working alone. She could still remember the sounds of glass breaking and the sight of the masked man was etched into her memory. The blaring alarms of the security system drowned out her screams as the man grabbed her, using her as a shield. The man was eventually arrested but for Bulma it just confirmed all her father's stories about people's true intents and she kept herself even more enclosed than before.

Even when the news of Frieza's arrival and proposal for peace reached her, she chose to work in the underground lab completely unseen. Thanks to her Father's research of Frieza's ship, she had been able to design and build a smaller ship that was capable of evading the superior ship's radar. It had also given her direct coordinates for the next planet the monsters were going to. While it wasn't the most optimal place to go, seeing as how Frieza would be on their heels whether he knew of her or not, it was better than wandering around space looking blindly for somewhere to land and running out of fuel in the process.

Little more than three weeks had passed since Bulma and Chichi had escaped from Earth. Bulma had cried for most of the trip while Chichi, having lost both her parents years before the attacks, patiently consoled her. They had landed on this planet five days ago. The dirty, crowded cityscape and massive amounts of shrouded people had been overwhelming for Bulma who had never seen more than five people in her life. Chichi had quickly gotten her back to the ship before she had broken down and attracted attention. Once they had reached the ship, Chichi left to investigate the city on her own. Luckily it turned out that Earths' language was actually diverged from the universal trade language known simply as standard. Chichi had quickly learned that the name of the planet was Yapisha and that its main purpose was trade. The sunlight here was harsh and being uncovered led to overexposure so some people would wear cloaks to protect their skin while others, mostly soldiers and warriors, seemed to move about unhindered. There were several different districts that determined what was being sold. Chichi had discovered a food market, an area devoted to selling luxurious fabrics and goods, and a section with metal scraps and technology. She had also discovered the way to the black market which she assumed sold illegal items and the area equivalent to 'red-light district' both of which she stayed far away from.

Bulma jumped as she heard her door open and spun her chair around to see Chichi removing her hood.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine, I'm going to have to learn to not be so jumpy anyway."

Chichi sighed and pulled out a handkerchief, "You've been crying again."

Bulma grabbed the cloth and turned to wipe her face. "I'm sorry. So much happened all at once that nothing seemed real. It's like I tried to tell myself that it was all a horrible nightmare but…," she wiped another tear from her face.

"There's no reason to be sorry. I was sad when my parents died and even the thought of living with you didn't ease the pain. Five years ago when your Mother died you were so sad that you couldn't bring yourself to work for a month. Now we don't know what happened to your Father but we do know that a monster destroyed everything that we held dear. If you weren't crying you would just be bottling the feelings inside until it killed you."

Bulma nodded but not wanting to cry anymore decided to change the subject. "Did you find out anything in the city?"

"I found an information dealer that says he could give us some coordinates to another planet but he wants money for it, the scumbag."

"I've brought some stuff from home that I'm sure we can sell."

"Maybe but we can't do anything today. There are some big names coming so people are more on edge and not wanting to come out."

Bulma's face paled, "Do you think they're talking about Frieza?"

Chichi shook her head, "I don't know. The only name I heard was King Vegeta and something about Sayians. I asked about who they were but all they said was that they're terrible brutes that have a peace treaty with Frieza but refuse to ally with them."

Scoffing, Bulma turned back to the blueprints she was working on, "I wonder what their definition of brute is since they don't seem to think of Frieza as one."

"What are you working on?" Chichi asked as she moved up to look at Bulma's work. She wasn't nearly as gifted at science as Bulma was but she knew enough to know that it had to do with the ship.

"I'm still trying to convert the ship to run on the same fuel that Frieza's ship did."

"Maybe after we get some money I can bring back some parts for you to study."

"I doubt that things would be as recognizable here as they were on Earth."

"Then come with me."

"NO!" Bulma spun around, panic clearly on her face, "Chichi you know that I can't."

"Bulma you said before that you have to learn not to be so jumpy but you're also going to have to learn that you can no longer stay hidden from the outside world. You can't rely on your Father's carefully constructed life to shelter you anymore. You're 27 years old and it's time for you to make your own life. You need to experience the world instead of just analyzing it, meet people without believing that everyone is going to attack you, you need to be recognized as a person, not a mystery that hides behind your father's name. You…," Chichi stopped as she saw Bulma shaking slightly, her tight fists held firmly against her thighs. Sighing, she reined her anger back in. "Look, Bulma. I'm not going to make you go out today and make friends or get a job, but just going out with me to take a look at the city when it's not so crowded will be a good experience for you."

"Chichi…," Bulma felt Chichi's arms wrap around her in a tight hug.

"I'm going back out. The crowds won't be as thick with all the people staying out of the big names' way. Maybe I'll find a decent person that can give us coordinates without charging for them. Think about what I said, okay?" Giving Bulma a kiss on the forehead, she pulled her hood back on before she left.

Bulma stared at the closed door for a bit longer before forcing her eyes back to her work, but couldn't find anything else to do with it. "Who am I kidding? Without knowing what parts they use for ships out here I'll never be able to convert the stuff we have here to work properly with the common fuel source."

Rubbing her face, Bulma looked over at the bulky ki suppressor her Father had given her before she left. Picking it up and putting on the table, she smiled in disbelief, "Dad, I know that it was a prototype but this wouldn't have been practical for people needing stealth." She imagined someone trying to slip past security holding a large box and giggled. "That's how it always was though, wasn't it Dad? You designed something without the thought of how your buyers would look at it. And I would modify it, making it discreet or pretty enough that people could see themselves using it," Another tear slipped down her face but she didn't stop smiling. Picking up her tools she got to work dissembling the prototype, making notes about how to enhance it.

Two hours later, Bulma held up the suppressor now small and conveniently disguised as a necklace with a large metal charm. "Pretty good work, if I do say so myself. I just wish I had stronger metal to work with; if this gets dropped I doubt it'll keep working." She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm sure Chichi can find some stronger metal around here somewhere."

The proud smile on her face instantly dropped. Moving her hands down to her lap, she remembered Chichi's words.

'_You're 27 years old and it's time for you to make your own life. You need to experience the world instead of just analyzing it, meet people without believing that everyone is going to attack you, you need to be recognized as a person, not a mystery that hides behind your father's name.'_

"She's right, of course. I may be opinionated and stubborn but even I know that I can't continue living as I did on Earth." Taking in a deep breath, she fixed a look of determination on her face. "When Chichi comes back I will go out with her." She nodded her head and set back waiting for her friend to return.

However, 3 hours later, Bulma was started to worry. It wasn't late by any means; there were two more hours to a day here and the sun was still up, though not as high as when Chichi had left. "I wonder if she found something. Surely she didn't get caught by anyone; she's smart enough to know who to keep an eye out for." Bulma was pacing, worried thoughts quickly pushing through her logical ones. "What if Frieza's here? There's a chance that he was one of the big names that people were expecting. But no, Chichi would recognize the armor his soldiers wear. Heck even I could recognize the armor and I only saw it in pictures. She would stay away from them, no matter what."

Another hour went by and Bulma's worries grew. Chichi was her best friend and the only one she could trust in this universe. She couldn't just sit back in safety and wait. "I know it's stupid," Bulma said as she pulled on a cloak and the suppressor and walked over to the full-length mirror, "but I have to do something." Grabbing some mace and a smokescreen grenade for defense in the possible chance of a bad encounter, she made her way out of her enclosed office.

Moving to the door of the ship, she took a few deep breaths before stepping out into the sunlight.

'_Chichi was right,'_ Bulma realized as she looked around the marketplace, _'the streets are far less crowded than they were before.' _She thought back to how it had been days ago when they had first gotten to the city. There were so many that she couldn't move an inch without rubbing up against someone and the thought that those causally walking by would suddenly turn and surround them nearly made her hyperventilate. Now though, the few people walking around seemed to be more than happy to give her several feet of personal space. They were all wearing cloaks like she was which was good in that it helped her blend in and bad because she couldn't ask anyone if they'd seen Chichi.

It was hard to not be distracted by the things around her as she looked for her friend; everything was so different here than back on Earth. None of the food looked familiar to what she'd eaten back at home and the clothes seemed to shine and glitter as if they were made of precious metals and jewels instead of fabrics. Bulma had thought that she had been rich and though she never really wore the fancy, expensive clothes her Mother had often bought for her nothing had been like what she was seeing here.

Being bumped by a stranger, Bulma jumped away. However as the person continued on their way without even glancing at her and she realized that it had only been an accident, she calmed down a little, taking deep breaths to stop herself from her fear-driven panting. As she leant against a wall trying to compose herself, she realized that despite how well she had been doing psychologically before the whole idea of coming out to search alone was pointless. _'What made me even start to think that I could find Chichi on my own? I should just head back to the ship and wait for her.' _Bulma turned to head back when she caught sight of the industrial district. _'I may as well look around. That way I can get an idea of what I'll need to modify the ship. Besides, if I'm impressed by food and clothing that I've never really had an interest in, I'm sure I'll be blown away by their machines.'_ With a smile Bulma made her way to the new area to browse a bit, and keep a lookout for Chichi, of course.

Despite her initial idea that she'd be impressed with what she was seeing, she quickly found herself disappointed. The first few stands she tried to convince herself that they were just selling scrap or out dated things but she quickly found that they were actually selling expensive top of the line goods. From the bulky containers that connected to each other for easier shipping to radar systems so loud and obvious that everyone would know that you were tracking someone, Bulma was clearly not impressed. The secret capsule technology she and her father had perfected was far better for shipping and she was sure that, had she not been busy making the ship, she could have made a practically unnoticeable form of radar fashioned as a pair of glasses with an earpiece to make conversations or data unheard by anyone other than the wearer. The more she looked the more she realized why Frieza had been so excited to learn about her Father's ability. She would have to be extra careful when she went about selling her inventions or else she might bring far too much attention to herself.

'_Though with my looks, I doubt that anyone will instantly assume that I'm the creator,'_ she thought with a frown. Her Mother had always been upset about her not going out and flaunting her beautiful looks but her Father had insisted that her beauty would just be another thing people would want to take advantage of. Bulma had always thought that she was nothing special when compared to the celebrities that littered the covers of magazines and were deemed worthy of breaking news on TV but Chichi had pointed out that the difference is that she never had any work done to her, that her beauty was completely natural and that fact would be noticed by anyone that saw her.

Pushing those thoughts away, Bulma continued browsing in a few stalls that actually were selling scraps for anything that could be used on the ship. Making a few mental notes about their locations, she decided that she should get back to the ship in case Chichi had already gotten back._ 'I'm going to get quite a scolding but that's better than getting back and her still being gone.'_

As she started making her way down the path that would take her to the outskirts where the ship was parked, a sudden gust of wind swept by with such intensity that she nearly fell over.

"Wow," Bulma heard a distinctly male voice say to someone, "have you ever seen hair like that?"

"Never. That's quite a color on her," the person the first was talking to responded back.

Looking up, Bulma froze in fear. Before her were three huge men of varying colors of skin and species ranging from reptilian to cat-like but it was what they were wearing that terrified her. Unlike everyone else she had seen these men were wearing the same armor that Frieza's men had.

The third one, with scaly purple skin, spoke this time, "Never mind her hair, her face is perfect. I've never seen anything like it."

"You think she's one of the slaves from that Earth planet we just came from?" The furry blue cat man asked the others.

Bulma's faced paled at that. Not only were these men part of Frieza's army, they also just confirmed that they had taken her people as slaves.

The third man, the first one that had talked and could have been mistaken for a human had it not been for his green skin and vivid red hair, shrugged his shoulders. "Possibly, I don't recall seeing anyone half as good looking as her though but if she is she shouldn't be here. The auction doesn't start for another hour so she couldn't have been bought yet. Not to mention that if she had already been purchased her owner wouldn't let her wander around alone."

The blue cat man nodded, "Guess we better take her back to the stockyard then, but maybe we can have some fun with her first," he stated with a cruel smile.

The other two grinned maliciously in agreement before they started to advance on her. Bulma couldn't think straight, everything seemed to slow down as her thoughts jumped back to when she was grabbed by the man and held against her will when she was younger. Through the haze of the panicked memories flashing before her, one word repeatedly ran through her head becoming louder each second the men took another step towards her until her body finally registered its meaning.

'_Run!'_

Pulling the pin out the smokescreen grenade, Bulma threw the small can at the men who easily caught it. Their laughter at avoiding her futile attempt at defense was short lived as the can suddenly started spouting smoke, quickly surrounding the three in a thick fog. Ignoring their coughing, Bulma quickly ran down a side alley. In the back of her head she knew that she was going the opposite way of the ship but at the moment the only thing she could think of was getting away.

'_Run!'_ her mind screamed at her and run she did.

Pulling her hood back up to cover her vivid features, Bulma saw a side alley ahead of her. Confirming that the men weren't directly behind her, she turned the corner only to run into a hard wall. She heard a loud crack and she realized that it was her fragile necklace breaking. Looking forward to see what she ran into, fear engulfed her as saw that it wasn't a wall but rather person wearing the same armor as the men she was running from. Her eyes quickly snapped up and met with the darkest black eyes she had ever seen.

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A/N: Thanks for reading. I'm sorry to say that the next chapter won't be a continuance of this, so you'll have to wait until after the chapter after the next one. But the good news is that the next one will be the same day from Vegeta's point of view. Hope you'll all like it. Thanks for reading and feel free to review, I love to hear what you're all thinking about the story so far. And thanks so much for the reviews I've already gotten, they really do mean a lot to me.


	4. Pretentious Prince

A/N: Whew, Finals time, I'm sure some of you know how this time of year is. I'm not done yet but I figured I should go ahead and put the next chapter of this up while I'm writing my final paper. In any case, this is the same day from another Vegeta's point of view but it does continue past where Bulma's left off. Also much like Bulma, Kakarot has a different background though his is not as extreme as hers.

* * *

On the darker side of the trade planet Yapisha, in a private room of a tavern nestled in the middle of the pleasure district, King Vegeta, his son Prince Vegeta and a few of their best men awaited the arrival of Frieza. King Vegeta was the ruler of the Sayians, a proud warrior race that lived on the planet Vegeta which he and the 62 previous kings had been named after. Though he was one of the few in the universe that refused to let his people serve in Frieza's personal army, he felt that it was important to continue a friendly working arrangement, if only because his people were no match for the tyrant's unlimited power and resources. In return for the goods such as armor and technology that Frieza gained during his conquests the Sayians would be hired to take care of planets that required more muscle and less tact. While one may question why someone with such strength would need to rely on others to take out a planet of stronger beings it was as simple as Frieza not wanting to lose any of his men and rather sacrificing those that refused to bow to his name. It was unsettling to have to agree to the possible death of a few of their people but it was far better than the definite slaughter of their entire race if they resisted.

Now, they were here on Yapisha to receive payment for a mission that Frieza had hired them a little less than a month ago for. Frieza had promised ample payment in the form of being first to access the astounding technology he had come across on the planet he would soon be conquering. The planet had been hard to conquer; the beings of the planets, though unintelligent, were extremely violent and plentiful. They had lost a quite a few men before Prince Vegeta had decided to come against his Father's wishes and lead the attack, his ability alone enough to turn the fight in their favor, his closest guard joining in with him making native's resistance laughable.

So now all that was left was to patiently wait for Frieza to arrive. However, an hour later than the scheduled time, the short-tempered prince's patience was reaching his limit.

"The sun will be setting in 3 hours. How much longer is he planning on making us wait?" Vegeta's tail lashed back and forth mirroring the anger in his tone.

"Calm down, boy. You know that Frieza does things the way he wants," the King said to his son without looking up, "and do sit down. I don't want to have to pay the tavern for the rut your pacing is making in the floor.

Vegeta growled but didn't stop pacing back and forth, his bad attitude becoming more apparent with each turn.

"Yeah Vegeta, you're being more grumpy than usual today," the King barely held in a chuckle at Kakarot's blunt comment, "It's not like you haven't had to wait for Frieza before."

"Don't you start with me, Kakarot. I'm not about to be lectured by someone who lost half their memories after hitting their head during a refueling on a planet that had no possible threats."

It was not a crude exaggeration on Vegeta's part. Ten years ago when the thirteen year old third class Kakarot had been returning to planet Vegeta after a solo mission when he found himself being low on fuel and needed to stop on a nearby planet named Namek. It was a peaceful planet with mostly passive beings and few resources worth attacking the planet for so Frieza had never deemed it necessary of purging. Kakarot had landed and proceeded to refuel but a lack of foresight prevented him from wearing his scouter, making him unable to realize that he was under attack by a wild reptilian creature. He had fought back but one swipe of its massive tail caused him to fall against a rocky out cropping and knock himself on the head. He was rescued by the small group of warriors that defended the planet and taken to their healers. Physically he fully recovered but mentally he had forgotten most of the basic customs and ways of the Sayians. However he also learned much from the Namekians and within two years his strength and skills surpassed most of the higher classed Sayians and deeming him worthy of being Prince Vegeta's second in command, though Kakarot referred to it as being his best friend.

Kakarot rubbed the back of his head as a frown twisted on his face, "I don't see what that has to do with you being so grumpy. Besides, it was because of that that we became friends," if he heard Vegeta's growl he ignored it, "and I wouldn't have learned so many great things if I hadn't stayed with the Namekians for awhile: gardening, finding peace with nature, the ability to sense and suppress energy," his list being interrupted by Vegeta's scoff.

"What you learned about energy is the only beneficial thing you brought back. Only that I will admit was worth you becoming an idiot," he snapped before finally sitting down, not because of his Father's request but because he, having mastered Kakarot's technique, could sense that Frieza was finally coming.

It took every ounce of control he had not to lunge at the white freak who causally sauntered into the room as if he had all the time in the world.

"Ah here are my favorite royals. Sorry I'm later than promised but I had some important business to take care of."

"More important than keeping your word about the payment for the last minute job you gave us?" Vegeta asked with a sneer.

"Hold your tongue, boy," his Father barked out knowing that Frieza's good attitude could vanish at any moment. However at Frieza's laugh all the Sayians in the room instantly stiffened.

"No need to stop him, I know how he is," Frieza said with a cruel smile. "Not to mention that Vegeta had to actually get his hands dirty on that little job so he's obviously going to be a little miffed."

Vegeta wasn't falling for Frieza's sweet words. "Unlike you, I actually do my own work, instead of sitting back and watching hired hands mess everything up."

This time it was the disgustingly handsome blue skinned soldier that spoke against him, "Are you suggesting that Lord Frieza doesn't do any work or that his soldiers are incapable of doing anything right."

Smirking, Vegeta shrugged, "Both."

"How dare you insult Frieza's name with such an uncaring attitude? How…,"

Frieza cut his tirade short, "Zarbon," pausing long enough that everyone was aware that he was serious, "I believe I said that Vegeta's behavior is expected and that there was no need stop him. Are you purposely disobeying me?"

Zarbon bowed, quickly trying to appease his master, "My apologies, Lord Frieza," he carefully answered but glared at Vegeta who was smirking at his brown nosing.

"Good. Now onto business," his smile was quickly replaced with a fake upset frown, "I'm afraid that we're going to have to rethink about your payment for that last job."

Enraged, Vegeta quickly leapt from his seat, "What?" He felt Kakarot come up from behind, gently pushing down on Vegeta's shoulder. From most people views it was an effort to prevent the prince from flying off the handle but between the two it was a wordless reminder to Vegeta that Frieza enjoyed watching him lose his composure. Taking in a deep breath he returned to his seat as if nothing had happened.

Frieza chuckled, "Don't worry, Prince, it's not because I felt that your work wasn't worth it, rather it's closer to what you said before in regards to my own men's competency."

"What do you mean?" King Vegeta asked, curious as to what could have possible gotten past Frieza's troops.

"When I had requested the job I had promised to give you the first rights to some of the technology I was going to acquire however things didn't turn out the way I had planned. You see, soon after I had sent my men to retrieve the man behind the work, I got a report that he had destroyed everything and that his home and lab had blown up."

Vegeta rolled his eyes, "Bah, the inventions probably wouldn't have been worth all the work we did anyway."

Frieza shrugged, "I suppose it was something you'd have to personally see in order to understand. But even with the death of Dr. Briefs, we found there may be another that capable of making inventions as brilliant as his."

"That would be fortunate for you if it turns out to be true," the King asked, mentally agreeing with his son but not wanting to upset the company.

"Yes. It's all very hush hush but I'm going to tell you so that you'll be able to help me with the search. You see, we've found that he had a daughter," Frieza nodded to Zarbon who handed the Sayian king a document depicting the few possible features of the mystery woman." Dr. Briefs was in his 70's and since his daughter was his lead scientist for the past 20 years we can assume that she's an older woman, perhaps somewhere between your age and that of your son's. The Doctor did study our ship so there's a chance that she was able to make her ship and escape before we even reached his lab. She'll be trying to get away but I swear that I will do everything in my power to catch her."

Vegeta scowled as he looked over the list his Father was holding. _'Father had light purple hair and black eyes, Mother had Yellow hair, eye color unknown. They really expect to find anyone with this? These beings are so varied, their race must be a mess.'_ Sayians were less varied having black or dark brown hair and eyes._ 'Not to mention that you can hardly call a person a genius if it took them 30 years to reach the top position; more likely that they'd been working there so long that the leader decided that they deserved a promotion. If this woman is so brilliant she may have gained the title a few years before she became an adult which would mean that she would be closer to my age or a little older.' _

"Such a serious look," Vegeta looked up at Frieza who was smiling at him. "Care to tell me what's on your mind, Vegeta?"

Vegeta kept eye contact with the vile being across from him before shrugging his shoulders and tossing the list back to his Father. "I just think it's pointless that you're scouring the universe for this old hag that you know nothing about?" He kept his previous thoughts to himself. _'If they're not smart enough to think things through that's their fault. I'm not about to do their dirty work for them.'_

"You don't understand, Vegeta," Zarbon once again spoke out. "Dr. Briefs' inventions were like that which we've never seen. Things that could make your jaw almost drop at the sheer brilliance before you. In less than a week he made a cloaking device that made anything it was attached to invisible and without previous knowledge of Ki he made a box that was capable of making a person undetectable by radar and even made his own scouter that easily surpassed the ones that our lead scientists took years to perfect."

Vegeta stood once again, swatting Kakarot's hand away when he tried to remind him to be calm. "So what? Who in their right mind would try to sneak around while carrying a large box? Invisibility means nothing if your foes can hear you trudging around like an overstocked merchant. And of course your scouters were easily surpassed, they're so out of date…," he struggled to search for the exact words that would damage his opponent's pride the most, "they're so out of date that… I could make a far superior version."

Zarbon grimaced with rage but quickly called Vegeta's bluff, "Oh please, Vegeta, like you have any knowledge in the realm of science."

Vegeta shrugged. "I dabble. It's important for a prince to be well balanced in all areas and if I applied my superior intelligence I'd be able to make something that would make your jaw drop and render you speechless."

Laughing, Zarbon crossed his arms, "Vegeta the only thing superior about you is your ego but I suppose that you have to have at least one large thing to make up for all your other… _short_ comings."

Vegeta started to make a move towards Zarbon who shifted ready to put the prince in his place when laughter stopped them both dead in their tracks.

"Oh, Vegeta you never cease to amuse me. I'd love to not have to search the universe for this Briefs woman so I'll be more than happy to see what you can show me instead. King Vegeta, you're having a banquet coming up in month, aren't you?"

King Vegeta stopping glaring at his pretentious son long enough to look back towards Frieza. "Yes, and you're still free to change your mind about not coming, of course."

"Well I originally said no because I didn't have time for such frivolous things but since I'll be coming to see Vegeta's projects I can make time."

Vegeta's fists tightened, mentally damning himself for the hole he just dug himself into. Instead of responding, he turned to leave.

He almost made it to the door when Frieza's voice stopped him. "Oh, Vegeta, I almost forgot. Your 28th birthday is coming up, isn't it?" Vegeta didn't answer but Frieza continued anyway. "I'd hate for you to believe that you're not getting rewarded for your work so you and your second can go over and get yourself a prize from the stockyard before the auction begins."

Vegeta grit his teeth. The stockyard was an auction house that sold slaves for work and sexual purposes. To Vegeta, having a purchased concubine was the same as admitting that you didn't have the ability to seduce your sexual partners and had to resort to raping unwilling ones instead. Even as a gift the message would be the same. "I don't need…,

"Vegeta," Frieza interrupted with a smile but his tone indicated that his word was final, "I insist."

Vegeta's fists tightened even more. "Very well," he answered through grit teeth before leaving followed closely by Kakarot.

* * *

"I don't recall you ever doing anything science related, Vegeta."

"Shut up, Kakarot."

"I mean, I've only been your friend for about 8 years and maybe it was an old hobby but I remember you saying that anything not related to your training was pointless," Kakarot continued ignoring the fact that he was following a growing ball of anger.

Vegeta spun around on him, "I said Shut up! I know that I don't have any scientific knowledge, I don't need you to point that out anymore," He yelled, "and stop saying friend, you're not on Namek anymore. I'm your Prince and I deserve your respect."

Kakarot frowned. "I respect you but that doesn't change the fact that we're friends."

Vegeta rolled his eyes before continuing down the path. _'I seriously need to rethink my criteria for those I keep in my company. Rule 1: Isn't an idiot.'_

"Are we really going to the Stockyard?"

Vegeta sighed, "We don't have a choice. Just find something you like and do what you want with it."

They walked along for about 3 more seconds before Kakarot spoke again, "I wonder what they look like."

_'Rule 2: Doesn't speak unless spoken to.' "_I don't care."

"But maybe you'll find one that you really like. After all you seem to favor aliens over Sayian woman."

"Ugh, Sayian woman," Vegeta said with a shudder. "So muscular and rough skinned. I may as well be fucking another man. And I don't favor aliens; they're just the better of the two."

Seeing as how the Sayians were a warrior race, even the females couldn't afford to be weak. They fought just as much as the men and though their bodies were smaller and leaner they were still war hardened and battle scarred. _'I swear, if I ever force myself to couple with one of those monstrosities, I'll find that they're actually just men with the ability to get pregnant,' _he shuddered again at the thought of being intimate with one of them. _'Rule 3: No Sayian women.' _He didn't even want to acknowledge the fact that he'd be forced to mate with one to have his heir.

Vegeta suddenly sensed that Kakarot wasn't directly behind him and turned to see what happened. What he found was Kakarot talking to a small shrouded person.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you," a female's panicked voice came from under the cloak.

"It's not a problem, I should have been more aware," he answered back with a huge grin on his face. "Are you lost? You don't look like you know where you're going."

"I was looking for someone that could give me coordinates to another planet but everyone wants money for the information and before I knew it I wound up here and can't figure out how to get back to the main district. It'll be getting dark soon and I really need to get back before my friend gets too worried."

Vegeta rolled his eyes again. _'Amazing, in a sea of perverts and con artists, Kakarot actually finds someone with similar ideals.'_

"Hey, Vegeta, I'm going to help her find her way. I'll head over to…, um, over there later."

Vegeta waved him off and continued walking, deciding that he'd prefer Kakarot flirting with a random stranger than bugging him with inane questions.

Finally reaching the stockyard area he looked around at the new slaves being prepared for auction.

"Ah, Prince Vegeta," a yellow insect-like being skittered towards him, "We were told by Lord Frieza that you'd be by. He informed us that you are allowed to take any slave that you want. The humans are fairly weak in strength, we were told, but some of the women would make perfect pleasure slaves. Since it's a gift from our Lord and not a purchase just feel to grab one; he said that it's fine if you don't fill out the necessary paperwork."

_'Probably told them that I wasn't the type to deal with procedures,' _Vegeta thought as he let his eyes scan over the 'humans' as they were being marched by. Physically they were close to that of a Sayians: no extra or missing parts on them with the exception of not having a tail. They had varying colors of hair and eyes and though their skin tones varied from dark, smooth brown to a creamy peach color, none of them were drastically different from the others. Furthermore none of the women seemed to be too muscular but rather curvy and supple. _'Maybe I'll enjoy this more than I thought.'_ He didn't like the idea of purchasing an unwilling partner but since he didn't have much of a choice he may as well find someone that he liked.

"There are also more inside that have already been documented but you're free to look at those as well," the insect spoke as he watched Vegeta evaluating the crowd. "I'll leave you to your browsing. Just be sure to inform one of us that you've found one so that we can tell Frieza.

Vegeta nodded without looking at the bug. _'I'm not stupid. All of the 'non-documented' ones here have already been evaluated and tagged. That bastard thinks he can spy on me but I'm already onto his game. Whichever one I pick, I'll have to be careful to examine them for tracking chips,'_ he thought as he continued to scan the sea of women for one that stood out amongst the others. However after an hour of looking he hadn't really come any closer to picking one out. Add to that the fact that the various voices speaking, yelling, and crying all at once was doing murder on his sensitive hearing. _'Might as well take a break before looking inside. It's not like they'll go anywhere."_ He thought as he walked away from the stockyard and stepped into an alley with the intent on clearing his head a bit.

His plans were cut short, however, as he turned the corner and something ran into him. More shockingly was fact that it wasn't until hearing a loud cracking sound that he realized that the thing was actually a person. _'Impossible! Even with this low of an energy source I should have been able to sense it.'_

He forced the surprised look off his face before looking down. He saw the person flinch before looking up at him in terror. The eyes were filled with obvious terror but it wasn't the first thing that registered for him.

No, the first thing for him to realize was that it was a woman that had run into him; a woman with a very curvaceous body with the most stunning blue eyes he had ever seen.

She kept her panicked gaze locked with his slightly confused one as she tried to move back, only to find that she could escape the hold of his arms that he'd unknowingly used to catch her. One of her hands moved up to her necklace and when she looked down so did he to see what she was planning. It looked handmade and it seemed to be the source of the breaking sound he had heard when she had crashed into him. While some may have tossed away that thought as pointless, for Vegeta it indicated that the reason he hadn't sensed her before was because the necklace somehow prevented it.

"Are," his eyes snapped back to hers as she softly spoke to him, "are you one of Frieza's men?" she asked as she turned to look behind her.

He narrowed his eyes noticing her other hand still touching his chest he reasoned that she was asking because they wore the same armor. "No, I am Prince Vegeta of the Sayians. We just bought our armor through him since it more advanced than what we had." It was something he hated to admit but his answer seemed to calm her slightly.

"Ah, I heard about the Sayians being here," her shaking seemed to lessen though she was still trying to pull away from his grasp. She looked back at him," I'm sorry I ran into you. Can you please let me go?"

Vegeta looked at her carefully. Though there were a large number of people moving about the planet, he could sense three energies that were frantically running around nearby from the direction she had come from. It was possible that she was an escaped slave but the chances were slim. Even if she had escaped from the stockyard she wouldn't have been able to find a cloak to cover her and she would be trying her best to run away from the stockyard. If he hadn't been there she would have run directly into the guards watching over the area and returned to the group of slaves.

The earlier meeting with Frieza and Zarbon came back to his mind: a scientist capable of making a device that could suppress energy to a level that it was undetectable. A missing daughter that possessed the same intelligence that would be trying to avoid being captured. The chances of this being the very person that Frieza was desperately searching for were next to impossible but he couldn't let the chance to find out escape him.

Slowly a smirk crept onto Vegeta's face. "Ms. Briefs, I presume?"

The panic flooding her already pale skin confirmed his guess. His smirk broadened.

_'Found you.'_

* * *

Uh oh, he's on to Bulma. What will happen now? ;) Hope you all enjoyed it. With finals being over soon I'll try to get back into working on my fics (I'm way behind on Bizarre Earth Customs so I'll work on that first). In any case, please read and review. I love getting feedback from you._  
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	5. Too Close for Comfort

"Namek?" Chichi asked the tall stranger named Kakarot.

"It's a very peaceful planet and the residents are very friendly. I'm sure you and your friend would love it," he answered her with the most genuine smile she'd seen in awhile, his chocolate brown eyes reflecting the feel sincerity of his statement.

_'Wow, he's so charming and he's not even trying.'_ Chichi shook herself.

Kakarot became confused a serious look crossed her face. "Is something wrong?"

Chichi jumped at his question. "Sorry, I was just thinking about something. In any case, thanks for your offer. I'm sure it's troublesome for you to have to look up the coordinates for such an unknown planet."

"Oh I don't have to look it up. I have Namek's coordinates memorized since I go back there every once in awhile."

"Aren't you in the Sayian Empire?"

"Yes, but a few years back I landed on Namek and lost part of my memory. During my time there they gave me the name of Goku which means 'tailed one from the sky' or something along those lines in their language," At Chichi's stifle giggle, he looked back to her. "What's so funny?"

"Um… it's just that our planet has a similar meaning. There's a tailed creature called a monkey so the name Goku fits you quite well really," she finally lost the battle to not laugh and hoped that she didn't offend the man.

Kakarot on the other hand was far from offended, rather he was pleased to see such a genuine laughter in place of the cruel mocking his name normally received. 'She's really pretty when she's happy. I'm glad she's not as nervous anymore.'

Chichi looked away with a blush when she saw Kakarot, no Goku really did fit him better, smiling at her. This day had been so frustrating but for some reason she wasn't thinking about it anymore since right now felt so good. _'Stop goofing off, Chichi,' _she chided herself_. 'So what if he's sweet and cute. You need to hurry back to the ship and talk to Bulma.'_

Little did she know that Bulma was not on the ship but in a close proximity to a very dangerous man.

* * *

'_There's no way he knows who I am, he's just really good at guessing. I'll just tell him he's wrong and hope that he believes me.'_ Bulma swallowed the lump in her throat and stood up straight, "I'm sorry, I think you've confused me with someone else," she stated.

"Oh?" she felt a shiver run through her body at the amused chuckle that followed his question. Despite this man's claims of not being one of Frieza's men she instinctively knew that he was just as dangerous. "My mistake then," he causally said with a shrug of his shoulders.

She watched as his eyes scanned her face before moving lower. Looking down, she realized that he was looking at her necklace. She tried to jump away when his hand reached for it but his other hand was still holding her by the arm. "That was quite a crash we had, wasn't it? I'd be more than happy to buy you another necklace if you take me to where you bought it," he finished with a charming smile that made her weak in the knees for a reason she didn't quite understand.

'_It would be impossible for him to know what this necklace really was. Even if he knows about the ki suppressor Dad made, I'm the only one that knows that this is the enhanced version. Just play dumb and take the fact that it's flimsy and use it to strengthen your excuse. He thinks that pretending to be charming can make me drop my guard? Well two can play at that game.' _Bulma smiled as she tried to pass the necklace off as being unimportant_,_ "Oh, this little thing? It's nothing an important man such as yourself should worry about," she gently grazed his fingers with one hand while using her other to twirl a strand of hair around her finger playfully.

She watched as he raised an eyebrow in question, his eyes moving from her fingers gently brushing his to her hair before finally meeting her eyes as she watched him from a shy, lowered gaze. She had never flirted before but she did her best to mimic the ditzy manner of speaking her mother had when she was still alive and since it seemed to be working so she decided to keep playing up the ruse.

"It's a hobby of mine to make things out of what I find lying around. When I found this metal on the ground and saw that it was so shiny and flexible I thought that it'd be easy to work with to make something pretty. I didn't even think about how it would be so easy to break but I can easily make myself another one," tossing her hair back before looking directly into his eyes with her brightest smile hoping that it didn't look forced.

He stared at her silently for a moment, seemingly awestruck before catching himself and smiling at her again. "You made it yourself? That's quite impressive."

Bulma laughed lightly, hoping that she wasn't coming across as a total airhead. "No, anyone could make something as simple as this."

"Really?" He leaned in closer, his nose nearly touching hers. "I don't think that's possible. You know why?"

'_Too close. Way too close.'_ She was shaking again but she couldn't help it. She had never been this close to anyone other than her parents and Chichi. But that wasn't the only thing that was affecting her. At this distance she could only see his dark eyes as they stared at her intently. He wasn't physically forcing her to look at him but for some reason she couldn't look away. _'Hold it together girl. Fainting won't help anything.'_ She couldn't trust her voice not to shake so she just shook her head without breaking eye contact.

"You see," he pulled back a bit so he could look at her necklace again, "unlike Frieza and his men, I can sense energy without the use of radar. Yet despite that ability, I couldn't sense anyone in this alley. That is," he pulled the necklace up so that she would not only have to look at it but him as well, "until I heard this break. When this fragile scrap of metal broke I was suddenly able to sense your energy, as if you came just suddenly appeared. That could only mean that this necklace was responsible for hiding your energy from my detection and that would mean that you, having made the necklace, made it capable of doing that. Now what do you say, Ms. Briefs?" He used her name as if it was the most amusing name he had ever heard.

'_Damn it, I didn't know it was possible to detect ki without radar. Dad said that Frieza's men could only find people with their scouters.'_ If she had been aware of that fact she would have just said that she didn't remember where she bought it. _'Come on, think of some way to turn this around.'_

He seemed to catch on to her mental attempts to save herself so he pulled back a bit to look behind her. Worried that the men from before had entered the alley, she quickly turned to look for herself. Seeing no one, her body relaxed bit but it quickly stiffened at his chuckle.

"Those three are still a bit away though they'll be coming this way soon. Tell me, why are you running from them if you're not currently running from Frieza? It can't be something as simple as them trying to recollect an escaped slave, could it?" Bulma kept silent knowing that saying that she was an escaped slave wouldn't be a wise decision. "I suppose that if the humans were foolish enough to believe in Frieza's words of peace and equality," he quickly moved behind her, out of her sight but still holding her close by her arm as he moved them both forward a bit, "that they would be foolish enough to run right back to their captors."

Bulma's eyes widened as she saw the bustling activity in front of her. More humans than she could possibly count were being crammed together and pushed around by strange insect-like creatures as if they were cattle being prepared for auction. She remembered the men that had seen her and what they had said about taking her to the stockyard. She had thought that they were just joking but it was obviously true. _'If I hadn't bumped into him I would have been caught and sold into slavery.'_ She started to panic when one of the workers looked over in her direction but before eye contact could be made Vegeta pulled her back into the alley.

"Now, now, we don't want anyone to see you, at least just yet," he whispered in her ear, chuckling again as she tried to pull away. "As I told you before, the Sayians do not bow to Frieza but we do work for him from time to time, if the price is right. And wouldn't you know it, just an hour ago Frieza requested our help in finding a certain woman. She is the daughter of a supposedly brilliant scientist, one that was able to make inventions that are unequaled in the entire universe and Frieza believes that she is capable of doing the same. He wants her to be found so that she can work for him, making anything that his twisted mind could possibly desire, making him even more powerful so that he can take over more planets," he pointed to the path where Bulma could hear the cries of her people, "and take even more slaves."

Bulma sighed as she felt him pull away, still holding her by the arm but no longer pressed up to her back as he whispered in her ear. "The problem, however, is that Frieza and his men aren't very good at thinking things through. They know that this woman exists. They know that she was the lead scientist at her Father's company for 20 years. And they know that Dr. Briefs studied Frieza's ship and that there's a chance that she made her own ship and escaped the planet before the Frieza was even aware of her existence."

He moved around into the front of her vision but she refused to look up. "But they know nothing of the woman herself. They think that she may have purple hair like her Father or blonde hair like her Mother and that her eyes could possibly be black. And they believe that since she was the lead scientist for 20 years that she has to be well on in her years, since it would be uncustomary for someone to have such an important role before they were considered an adult, not to mention that most would have to work their way up to the top over several years before gaining such an honor."

Bulma turned the information in her head, trying to figure out what his game was._ 'It would probably take years for people in the universe to understand human genetics or that children can gain recessive traits that their parents don't show but had gotten from the generation before them. Much like how a red flower can come from a pink flower because it gained traits from red and white flowers, her blue hair was a trait from her Grandfather; his wife having pink hair, the mix gave their son purple hair. And of course people wouldn't believe that anyone would give any sort of power to a 7 year old child but Dad was different and I could more than deliver.' _Bulma could hardly believe what luck she had in that Frieza was completely off on what he was looking for. She could have walked by him completely uncovered and he wouldn't have thought twice about her. _'If only I hadn't decided to go out alone today. Stupid Bulma. Stupid stupid stupid Bulma.'_

"He honestly doesn't know how wrong he is about you, does he, Ms. Briefs?" He chuckled as she flinched at her name. "Now I'm sure that Frieza would be more than happy to reward me if I were to take you to him, but there's one little thing that is stopping me:" he gently touched her chin and lifting her face so she could make eye contact with his suddenly serious face, "I hate him. I want to rip his throat out. There's not a day that goes by that I don't train myself to the breaking point with the goal of one day becoming strong enough to end his reign of tyranny."

Bulma blinked as she tried to understand the sudden change in his attitude. One moment he was mockingly charming, the next seriously enraged. She remembered back to Chichi telling her about the general opinion of the Sayians that the people here had and wondered if it was solely because of the fact that they had enough backbone to tell the monster no.

As quickly as his attitude had changed, it changed back and once again he was smirking at her. "So here's how it is. I'm not going to take you to Frieza. That prick can fret and search the universe looking for you until he dies for all I care."

Bulma took in a breath. _'He wasn't going to turn her over? Perhaps there's a little bit of good in him after all.'_

"But there's still the little matter of what's going to happen to you."

'_Or perhaps not,'_ Bulma thought with a twisted frown.

"You're angry at me but you're not thinking clearly. As far as I can see there are only two options for you right now. One:" he pointed to the path behind him, "you can go forward and be caught by the workers there and sold into slavery. Two:" he pointed to the path behind her, "you can go back the way you came and hope that those three goons don't catch you, possibly rape you, and then take you to be sold into slavery."

Bulma's face paled. _'I thought that he was just being a jerk but he's absolutely right. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place, being damned if you do or damned if you don't.'_ She wrapped her arms around herself, wishing for the hundredth time that day that she had just stayed in her secluded little world. _'You were wrong Chichi. I always knew that the outside world was a horrible place and it seems that the rest of the universe is even worse.'_

"It's definitely looking bleak for you, but perhaps there is another option possible for you. That is, if we were to make a deal."

Bulma pulled her arms tighter around herself. She hated this feeling of helplessness that was engulfing her. She didn't know if his offer was going to be any better than the idea of slavery but she did know that she wasn't going to let him think that he could mess with her anymore.

She took as deep breath and straightened up. No longer were her arms clutching her sides but rather folded loosely across her chest. Everything about her said that she was a confident business woman fully prepared to take down her opponent. She may have never actually been in a boardroom but she learned how to keep control from the best in the business and she always got her point across. _'He wants to negotiate, huh? Fine. Who cares if I'm outside of the lab? Right now, it's just me and him. And I'm not going down without a fight,' _mentally bracing herself, she looked him straight in the eye.

"You have a deal to offer? Alright then. Let's see, if it's worth my time."

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A/N: Well I hope you all enjoyed it. Please feel free to read and review, I do love to get feedback from everyone.


	6. Negotiations

Ugh, first summer session was tiring. I was on campus from 9 to 5 everyday so it goes without saying that any free time I did have I wasn't in much of a mood to write. But now that that's over, I'm going to try to get things updated. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Edit: Also, sorry for the repeating plot with Goku and Chichi. I forgot that I added that to the previous chapter and when I finally realized the site wouldn't let me log in to fix it. Anyway, it's back to normal now.

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Vegeta blinked as he tried to understand what had just happened. In a matter of seconds this woman had turned from a shaking mess, timidly trying to flirt her way out of trouble into a confident businesswoman prepared to take down her opponent. To any inferior being she would appear to have no fear at all. Unfortunately for her, he was a Saiyan and his advanced sense of smell could detect her fear as it was so thick in the air that even the heavy cloak she was wearing didn't cover it. No, she was still just as terrified, she just didn't want him to know it.

Confident that he'd figured her ruse, he decided to play her new game. He'd be the victor, after all. Whether it was negotiating or seducing, Vegeta always got what he wanted from women. He should have no problem persuading her to work for him. Everything would work out perfectly: she'd make him some inventions and he'd show them off to Frieza as his own work, rubbing it in their faces about how they were foolish to not believe him. Nothing could go wrong with his plan.

Putting on a charming, though false, smile, he started his proposal, "Very well, Ms. Briefs. I…,"

"Don't call me that," she cut him off without breaking eye contact. "You said that you're not going to hand me over to Frieza so that name means nothing to you."

Vegeta's smile fell and his eyes narrowed as he realized that he had made a crucial mistake. When he'd told her earlier that he wouldn't give her to Frieza he'd been thinking that it was a way of getting her to trust him, so she'd be calm enough to agree to his plan. Now he realized that he'd lost a great bargaining tool since she no longer had to worry about the threat she was originally running from.

"What should I call you then?" he asked bitterly, his anger growing when she held her tongue, refusing to answer. _'Willful woman. I better turn this around before she thinks she can get anywhere with it,'_ he shrugged nonchalantly, as if he could really go against his earlier words."Very well then, _Woman_. It's true that I had said that but I could change my mind, that is if I'm given a reason to." _'That should be enough to convince her that I mean business,'_ but at her bored expression and shrug he added, _'or not.'_

"I suppose you could, I'm sure that anyone coming from the red light district lacks the decency to keep their words."

Rage flooded him and he had to hold himself back from killing her. _'How dare this woman speak poorly of my honor? If I didn't want her to work for me I'd blast her for such a comment.'_

As if not noticing his rage, she continued, "So let's go then. I'm sure Frieza will want to put me to work straight away. He'll want the modified version of Dad's suppressor right off or perhaps he'd rather have something for training that'll double his men's power in half the time. Yes I'm sure that would be more important right now. After all stealth would only be needed for sneaking in somewhere and with such great power added onto his already devastating level, being noticed is the least of his concerns. I'm sure that within a year's time that his men would easily have surpassed the abilities of you and your men and force you into under his rule; that is if he doesn't just decide to wipe your people out as an example."

Vegeta's tightly clenched fists ached as he forced his arms to stay by his side. _'She's smart. Dangerously smart. But that's what I want. She'd be of no use to me if she was dumb.' _Even angry he couldn't help but marvel at the concept she seemed to random throw out as an example; as if it was so easy to do that she wouldn't even have to think about it. _'Seriously, double the power in a year's time? Is that even possible? If so, I'd be able to take down Frieza in less time than I ever imagined. ' _

He had to have her, there was no way he'd let her slip away. Of course he'd never let her know how desperate he was. Right now, though, he needed to focus on getting her to see things his way. He'd have to tread carefully though as things so far haven't gone as easily as he expected them to.

"You would willingly work for the monster that destroyed your planet and enslaved your race?"

Once again she just held his eye contact with the same bored expression, as if he was just wasting her time. "I wouldn't have much choice, now would I?"

Vegeta let his smile return to his face, "Ah, but what if you did have a choice?"

"That would be your offer, wouldn't it?"

"Precisely. It's very simple really. Instead of working for Frieza, being forced to make things that make him stronger, more than likely forcing you to use your own people as test subjects; you could instead work for me."

"Wouldn't it be a bit suspicious that your new scientist suddenly made technology similar to what Frieza was looking for?"

Vegeta thought carefully about how to explain himself. He knew that he couldn't avoid telling her about the bet with Zarbon but wasn't about to tell her that it was his pride that got him stuck in this situation. "Earlier today, Frieza misheard me thinking that I said that I was capable of making inventions more advanced than your Father's. Lucky for me, I ran into you."

"Wouldn't Frieza have the resources to find out that you took someone home with you shortly after being told about Father's inventions? Surely he'd be able to put two and two together."

'_She's obviously skeptical but at least she's paying attention despite her nonchalant act._' "I told you that the Saiyans are sometimes hired to work for Frieza, didn't it? Well Frieza decided that I should be compensated for the last job I did for him by letting me pick any of the women he'd picked up on Earth as a personal concubine. I could take you back with me and he'd think that you're nothing more than pleasure slave. That means that you would be able to prevent your talents from being misused by him and I would take credit for all your work therefore keeping Frieza unaware of your true identity. You'd be safe from Frieza's clutches and I would be able to use your inventions to eventually surpass him, freeing the universe from his grasp. We both win."

He was shocked when instead of taking comfort in his assurance of her safety she seemed to be enraged by it.

Vegeta's shock showed on his face as she then walked past him towards the end of the alley leading to the Stockyard. "Where are you going?" She just pointed forward, as if verbally answering him was a further waste of time. "Don't be foolish, Woman. Your mind and body wouldn't last a year of torment as a slave," he yelled out but knew that she was well aware of the danger, if her growing scent of fear was any indication.

She looked over her shoulder at him, her voice and expression making her seem as if she wasn't afraid of the horrors ahead of her. "It's better than having I have my work misused by the monster that destroyed my world or by a pampered prince who can't back up his own skills and wants to make me a cheap whore? No thanks, slavery is the better choice. At least this way I'll only be raped and no one will use my work in ways I don't approve of." And then she turned back and continued on her way.

'_Unbelievable,'_ was the only word that Vegeta could think of to describe what he had just seen. Before this conversation had started he had been convinced that he could easily convince this woman, as terrified and desperate to flee Frieza as she was, to come with him. Never in his life had he met a woman brave enough to casually look him in the eye and defy him at every turn. Even Saiyan women, just as fierce and strong as the male warriors of his race, were submissive face to face with him. Not to mention that he'd never met a woman that wouldn't die for a chance to be his constant bed companion. It was a great blow to his pride that this woman not only had the gall to say no to his quite generous offer but to also act as if he couldn't find a willing woman and had to resort to force. It was too much for him to accept. _'I will win this.'_

Steps away from walking into the red lit street, he moved over to her, faster than she could probably see and pushed her against the wall. Panic filled her eyes and he quickly saw her brave face disappear, quickly replaced by the shaking mess he had met earlier. Vegeta grit his teeth as he realized that she was afraid that he was going to force himself on her. Taking in a deep breath, he calmed himself and made eye contact with her again.

"I'm a very prideful man, Woman, and I won't let you believe that you can say anything you want about me and get away with it."

"Please let me go," she said, seemingly close to hyperventilating.

"I'm not letting you go until you listen to reason," Vegeta calmly answered her hoping that it would calm down enough to reconsider everything. After a few seconds, her shaking only seemed to increase and he couldn't understand why it bothered him so much. _'Her bravery was an act just like her flirtatious behavior before that so it's pointless to wait for it to come back before moving on.'_

Pushing aside the unfamiliar feeling of unease, he began, "I did not want to get a concubine. I think that those that purchase women do so because they don't have the ability to seduce one into their bed. I've never reduced myself to such vulgar acts and I refuse to start anytime soon. However something that is well known in this universe is that when Frieza gives you a 'gift' you do not refuse it. And I use the term 'gift' lightly. Frieza knows about my distaste for concubines and he feels that this will be a large blow to my pride. Now with that little fact throw into the mix," he leaned in closer, making sure that she could see the sincerity in his eyes, "how do you feel about my offer now?"

He watched her eyes as she considered this new development. "I won't… I won't be safe if Frieza is forcing your hand."

"He's not forcing anything. I'm not much of one for public shows so the minimal amount of interacting we would have to do would only be when outside of my chambers. Once inside them, Frieza's power means nothing. My personal area is larger than you're thinking, taking up half of an entire floor of the palace. You'd have your own bedroom that is accessed through the living area and I'll have my study converted into a lab so you'd be able to work without distractions. The only other person allowed on the same level as me without permission is my second in command who would rather 'make friends' than take advantage of someone. Trust me when I say that you'll be safer with me than anywhere else in the universe."

She closed her eyes and his own were unwillingly drawn to her lips as she gently bit them. Shaking his head he forced his eyes back up. _'You can't even tell what she looks like without this hideous cloak covering her. Concentrate, damn it.'_ It didn't help that being this close allowed his senses to pick up an altogether more pleasing odor than her overwhelming fear. _'She probably sprayed her cloak with perfume,' _he logically decided. After all, it was hard to believe that she would have brought one from her planet so she must have gotten one of the handouts the planet offers.

"Chichi."

Her statement broke through his thoughts and brought his attention back to the matter. "What?"

"Chichi. She's my friend and my lab assistant. She's probably back at my ship in the forest outside of the general district. I can't leave without her."

'_Seems I've finally broken through her stubbornness,_' he thought with a smirk. "Kakarot, my second, was also 'gifted' a concubine by Frieza. That means that we can also take her and no one will suspect anything. She can stay in his quarters and come over at any time."

"How can I know that she'll be safe?"

"I honestly don't think Kakarot knows what sex is," he said bluntly. "She'll be just as safe as you are."

Hearing the voices of her pursuers coming nearer, the woman looked towards the far end of the alley. Knowing that a decision had to be made soon he stepped back and let her go. She looked back at him surprised so he made his final point. "You're free to go either way, Woman, but you'll likely never see your friend again unless you come with me."

She looked back as if expecting the men to pop around the corner at any second before closing her eyes and taking in a steadying breath. When she looked back at him she once again had the hard look of determination and professionalism emanating from her which once again made Vegeta wonder which personality was her real one. "I'll have to act affectionate in public with you?"

"It's no different than that little stunt you pulled earlier so you're capable of it." 'Yes,' he thought bitterly. _'Quite capable though any Saiyan would be able to see through her act as she hadn't portrayed any actual arousal towards me,'_ another blow to his pride for him. _'It shouldn't be too hard to remedy that though,'_ he decided, determined to regain his record at being able to make any woman want him whether he returned the feeling or not.

"And you promise that Chichi and I won't be touched?" she asked clearly making sure that all of her fears were addressed.

His first thought was to tell her what she wanted and get it over with but remembering her scent and how her flirting had unwillingly affected him earlier made him think twice about it. _'What if that wasn't perfume? What if it is her natural scent? Not to mention that I haven't seen more than her shadowed face.'_ Vegeta wasn't a fool. He didn't know if he'd be attracted to her or not when she wasn't covered but he didn't want to be honor bound to not touch her if she was.

"You have my word that neither of you will be forced to do anything that you're not willing to do." _'Yes, that set him up nicely for some breathing room,'_ he thought to himself. "You will have to be able to act your part in public and you will be required to work when you're in my chambers but no one other than me or Kakarot will come in contact with either of you."

She closed her eyes, arms once again crossed comfortably and she carefully weighed her options. 'Sorry, Woman, but I'm not letting you walk away from this again,' he thought with a smirk. "Hurry up, they'll be here any second." That comment made her jump and look down the alley. "Do we have a deal?"

She moved her eyes back and forth a few times before finally locking her eyes onto his. "Deal." She extended her hand and he took it to confirm their agreement. "So what do we do know?" Her composure was once again lost as he used their locked hands to pull her towards him.

There wasn't enough time to explain. The three idiots had finally decided to see if the woman had run towards the stockyard instead of away from it and were about to round the corner. Vegeta quickly pulled the woman against him and placed his lips flush against hers.

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A/N: Yes, I know the cliffhanger is bad. I've been scolded on my bad habit before. In any case, please read and review, I love to get feedback from you guys.


	7. Faint

A/N: Sorry for the wait. Please enjoy. :)

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Bulma had always been a realist when it came to things; it was helpful in her field of work as well as with the lifestyle she had been living. While other women or teenage girls may have seen the romance stories told on TV or in books and thought that they would one day have a special someone to act out those events with, Bulma never really saw the practicality of such far-fetched daydreams. Quite frankly she doubted that she'd ever meet someone she could be in a relationship with, let alone share a first kiss with but if she ever did it would be a standard, run of the mill experience and not some surprising turn of events out of a daytime drama or a harlequin romance.

She had never been more wrong in her life.

What she had considered too close before would have been a comfortable distance compared to how they were now. Right now her body was pulled flush into Vegeta's and their lips were tightly pressed together. Every muscle in her body tightened, not wanting to stay put but too tight to move away. Her brain was overloaded from the panic trying to grasp onto anything that would prevent her from collapsing from fear. Finally her eyes settled on his noting that they were not closed or even looking at her, but rather at the far end of the alley. Moving her own to look in the same direction her body impossibly seized up more as she realized that the three men that had chased her were standing at the end looking at the two of them with confused looks on their faces.

Feeling Vegeta pull his lips from hers she looked away from the men to look at his smug look. She would have been angry, if she were capable of doing anything other recovering from her panic, but she realized that he was obviously putting on a show for the men and not thinking that he got anything out of her.

"You three look like you're in a rush," Bulma jumped as Vegeta's deep voice seemed to echo through the alley. "Did your master Frieza send you to make sure I was picking up my gift? Or did he want to discuss his search for his mystery scientist more?" He cockily asked while touching a strand of Bulma's hair, mimicking her earlier action by twirling it around his gloved fingers as if brazenly flaunting the fact that he'd found her before Frieza did. Offhandedly she wondered if all women in the universe were treated like objects since so far she'd been chased down without regard to her feelings, informed that Frieza wanted to make her work for him without her acceptance, and was now a prop for the Sayian Prince's games uncaring that he'd just forced a kiss from her.

Bulma didn't understand why the men weren't answering but they seemed to be flabbergasted by what they were seeing. '_It's as if they've never seen anyone being intimate before. Or maybe it's the fact that it's Vegeta being intimate that's sent them into shock.'_

After what seemed like an eternity, he green skinned man jumped and stuttered a response. "Ah, n-no, Lord Frieza has already left on the main ship, back to… to the main headquarters."

"Ah so you were on your way to the stockyard? Then by all means get on with it and stop wasting my time."

This time the blue cat man stepped forward. "No we weren't going there, not directly at least. It's just… that woman there…"

"Ah," Vegeta feigned surprise while moving his hand down to the dip of her spine pretending to be comforting her, "so these are the men that chased you after you got separated from Kakarot." He looked down at her and Bulma distantly realized that he wanted her to answer further confirming his story.

She knew that she should play along but her she found it impossible to speak, her throat had already tightened to the point that it was getting hard to breathe. She could see Vegeta frowning at her silence, confused as he certainly was as to why she wasn't answering when she had cunningly tried to talk herself out of trouble earlier. Of course he wouldn't understand how he was making it impossible for her; the intimate touch adding to the already claustrophobic distance sending her into a panic.

Not knowing what else to do to keep up the act Bulma turned her head away from the men resting her face on Vegeta's hard armored chest, her body shaking with the strain to stay where it was instead of trying to jump away from the threat.

"I swear," she heard him let out a sigh loud enough for the men to hear, "I've only had you for a few minutes and already you're so attached to me." His warm breath ruffling her hair nearly made her jump away but she remained locked in place, knowing that it would result in their act falling though. "In any case, you were chasing this woman, weren't you?"

"Yes, we thought that she had escaped from the stockyard and were going to return her. We didn't realize that she belonged to anyone, especially you since you've never bothered with one before." she didn't know which one spoke this time and she didn't care.

"Yes I suppose it is common knowledge that I didn't want to purchase a concubine since it was the same as forcing yourself onto a woman. But as I said before, Frieza decided to give me and my second in command any choice of all the women he had picked up from his last mission as a gift and we all know that you don't turn down Frieza's offer. Lucky me I found this lovely one that is completely enamored with me. She'll need some training though, I don't care for public shows as much as she'd like," he chuckled, if Bulma hadn't known that he was just using what she was giving him to work with she would have smacked him for his 'training' comment. _'Like I'm some sort of dog that needs to be taught to sit on command.'_

"I had sent Kakarot back to the ship with them while I finished some work but she got separated in the crowd and tried to find me again."

"I see. We're sorry about the confusion then."

"If you acknowledge your fault then go on and get out of my way." Bulma felt the arm holding her leave her back and grab her wrist. Before she could concentrate on the action she was already being pulled behind him as he walked past the men without pause. "Oh," he called over his shoulder, "and be good little minions and report to Frieza that Kakarot and I both found our 'gifts', would you?"

Bulma barely heard their answer before Vegeta had pulled her out of their sight and through the alleyway, still holding tightly onto her wrist. Bulma forced her body to robotically follow along with Vegeta's pace through sheer will alone. She decided that now was a good time to collect her wits and calm herself down.

'_Okay, let's be logical about everything now. I'm no longer at risk of dying or being raped or being sold into slavery and Vegeta is no longer holding me against him so there's no reason to panic anymore. Now all I have to do is find Chichi and we can all sit down and talk about this as adults.'_ She took in a deep breath trying to calm herself. _'Once I'm off this horrible planet and in a more controlled, private setting I'll be back to my strong self, maybe even make a better deal out of this turn of events.'_

Bulma's new found confidence was quickly lost as they finally exited the alley and came into what could only be referred to as a wall of people. Her eyes widened but she didn't have time think about what was going on before Vegeta, who hadn't even stopped his stride, walked straight through them with her in tow and started off in a determined direction.

'_Why are there so many people?'_

"Tch, Cowards. They all praise Frieza but hide away until he leaves. It would be impossible to find Kakarot in this crowd if I was a common soldier. Lucky you…," his mouth continued to move showing that he was still speaking but the roar of the crowd drowned out his voice.

'_What is he saying? Where are we going?'_

She jumped as she felt someone brush against her only to run into another person. She thought that they were going to attack her but they just continued on as if nothing happened. A pull at her wrist brought her attention forward to Vegeta's glare as he said something to her once again drowned out beyond her range of hearing.

'_Odd, the crowd seems to have gotten quieter but I still can't hear him. That's not a good sign. Probably worse that it seems to be getting darker. No, I can't faint, not now. Take a deep breath and keep it together.' _She inhaled but the breath felt shaky as it passed through her tight throat and she was sure that it sounded like she was coming up for air after nearly drowning.

Bulma was confused when she felt Vegeta's hand leave her wrist and grab her shoulder. Looking back at him she noticed something was off. _'Did he get taller? No, I'm lower than before.' _She looked down and saw that her legs had, in fact, given in. Quickly the ground came closer and she felt another hand on her other shoulder, this time shaking her slightly.

"Wo…man… wha…," Vegeta's voice finally breached her senses.

It took more effort than she thought needed to look back up at Vegeta who had knelt down to prevent her from falling all the way to the ground. _'I must be white as a sheet if Vegeta looks that surprised.' _Surprised, not scared, she doubted that Vegeta would care that much. He was shaking her roughly but she had lost all the feeling in her body as she focused on his voice in attempts to stay awake.

"Woman! …amn wha…'s… happening?"

One of his arms moved around to her back to better support her as he gently placed his hand on the side of her neck to check her pulse. Bulma could tell by his expression that it was far higher than he thought it should be. But of course it was, even though she knew he was trying to help her all she could register was that he was too close to her. Vegeta didn't realize that she had gone through a traumatic experience when she was younger or that his arm holding her close and his hand around her neck were so terrifyingly similar to the thief's that had grabbed her so cruelly.

When his face blurred she realized that she her vision was fading completely due to her overwhelmed mental state. She didn't want to give up the fight, she was in a strange crowded place and the only person she knew was this stranger who had forced so much onto her in such a short period of time, but she knew it was a losing battle at this point.

"Woman! Woman, wake up! Woman!"

"BULMA!"

'_There's only one person… that would know my name here…,'_ forcing her eyes to focus one more time she saw that Vegeta was looking away from her and moving her head to the side she saw none other than a panicking Chichi running towards her. Relief flooded her at the sight of her dear friend and she let a smile creep onto her face before she finally blacked out.

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A/N: Thanks for reading. Please feel free to review. I love to hear back from you guys.


	8. Explanations

As Vegeta waited for the other occupants in the room to respond to his explanation of what had happened earlier and the deal that they were now involved in, he let his own thoughts wander. _'This has definitely been one of the more interesting, if not annoying, experiences I've ever had on Yapisha.'_

The day had been completely unexpected considering that it was supposed to be a simple matter of receiving payment for a job. He, more than anyone, was aware that he'd dug his own grave by claiming that he could make inventions far better than the mystery scientist Frieza was looking for but he couldn't miss the chance to tick Zarbon off. Luckily for him he had found a solution to his grave digging, even more so that his solution had been the very woman Frieza was obsessing over.

After Bulma had collapsed, Kakarot and the woman he'd bumped into earlier had appeared. Given the panicked behavior she had expressed it quickly became obvious that this was the 'Chichi' that the Woman had mentioned. Deciding to find a quiet place for her to rest before discussing the deal they had made, he followed Kakarot back to the sleek ship hidden on the rocky outskirts of the city.

It was impressive, to say the least, to see such an advanced ship given that Frieza had expressed that Earth was previously unaware that space travel was even possible. Upon entering the ship though he was surprised to see the lackluster, bare-bones design. Exposed circuitry and unfinished touches everywhere contrasted harshly with the perfectly finished exterior. _'More than likely Frieza attacked before they finished.'_

"I…," Vegeta was brought out of his musings when Chichi spoke, "I can't believe she agreed to this."

"I'm sure she did what she felt was best," Kakarot answered her, trying to ease her impending fury.

"She should have at least contacted me before making such a decision."

"Time was of the essence. It was either agree with my terms or become a slave," Vegeta answered.

Chichi turned her glare to Vegeta. "If you had any sense of decency you wouldn't be forcing her into this."

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the comment, Vegeta just raised a brow and smirked at her. "What a naïve little planet you must have come from to expect someone to do a favor without getting something in return. You won't be finding that behavior very often, especially on Yapisha."

"Goku was very decent, more so than you. He didn't ask anything in return for the directions to Namek."

"Go…," Vegeta rolled the name on his tongue before he remembered. "Oh you're talking about Kakarot's pet name he'd gotten on that planet of weaklings."

Chichi jumped up, furious with Vegeta's comment. "That's exactly what I'm talking about. Such a sadistic bastard you are to consider a planet that doesn't focus it's livelihood on killing and selfishness as weak. It's people like you that reinforce Dr. Briefs' paranoid ideals." She whipped around to look at Kakarot. "Do you know how many times Bulma has been out in public?"

"Um…," Kakarot's answer was cut off as she whipped back to glare at Vegeta again.

"I'll give you a hint. The first time was five days ago when we landed in this hellhole."

That answer was not what either of the Sayians had been expecting. It made sense though considering the fact that Frieza was completely unable to find any precise information on her. Surely Frieza could have found someone willing to sacrifice Bulma for their own safety or personal gain, even though the promise would have been broken without a second thought. The only reason that he couldn't have gotten a detailed description of her would be because no one had seen her but still the very concept was bizarre.

It was Kakarot that broke the stunned silence Chichi's tirade had brought. "How… Why has she never been out? I mean it's good since Frieza doesn't know what she looks like but there's no way anyone could have predicted that."

Sighing, Chichi sat back down before answering. "Like I said, it's because of Dr. Briefs', Bulma's Father, paranoid delusions. Dr. Briefs was a brilliant man. His inventions revolutionized the world and made even the government's top scientists' work look severely outdated. I suppose that knowledge would be the envy of scientists everywhere and there would have been a risk of theft, but Dr. Briefs took caution to an insane level. Only a third of his work was released to the public, the rest was hidden away for fear that someone would steal it for their own purposes. His only friends were my parents and it was through them that he met Bunny, Bulma's mother, a woman that was so obviously oblivious to anything scientific that it'd be impossible for even Dr. Briefs to be threatened by. The four of them lived together in the country far away from anyone that would try to steal his inventions. Years later, they had Bulma and when Dr. Briefs discovered her talent he decided that she'd be the only person worthy sharing his inventions with even going so far as making her his vice president. So much like he did with his own life, he hid Bulma away, telling her the horrors of the greedy human populace and passing his paranoid delusions onto her."

"So she's never been outside before?" Kakarot asked.

"No she's been outside. The Briefs' lived with my family in the country so we played together outside. She's just never been introduced to more than 5 people her entire life."

"What about you?" Vegeta was the one to break the silence this time. "You don't seem to be wary of talking to others."

"Even though I'm Bulma's friend and lab assistant, Dr. Briefs didn't control my life. I went to public school and enjoyed shopping in the city."

"Yet you never tried to take the Woman with you?"

"Her name is Bulma, you misogynistic jerk."

"I asked for the _Woman's_ name and she refused to give me it so to me she's the _Woman_," he cut off Chichi's rebuttal before she even opened her mouth, "and, given the situation we're now in, it's better that her name not be used outside of private. Frieza doesn't know her name but it doesn't mean that he won't eventually come across it."

"Fine. And yes, I tried to take her out when she got older. She was even close to gathering enough courage to go the city with me but…," she reached up to put her hand on her head. "But one day, while Bulma was working in the lab, a thief broke in. Somehow he had cut off the power and broke right through the sky light above Bulma's work desk and grabbed her when she screamed to silence her. She was saved by the security bots and the man was arrested but the damage was done. Bulma became even more withdrawn than she had been before. Yes this place is crowded but people like us can reason that just because someone bumps into you it doesn't mean that they're going to attack you but to Bulma… well you saw the result for yourselves."

Chichi looked up quickly as a sudden thought hit her, "Ah, but don't think for a second that she's always frail and timid. Just because she doesn't do well in public doesn't mean that she can't hold her own when she's trying to get her point across. If she hadn't been hidden away her whole life she would have been the most feared businesswoman on the planet."

Kakarot laughed aloud at Chichi's determined explanation. "I'm sure she is."

Looking back to Vegeta, she finished, "For that reason alone I'll go along with this deal of yours. If Bulma agreed to it then she must have her own reasons."

'_That explains a lot,'_ Vegeta thought to himself as Kakarot and Chichi waited for him to answer. _'I thought it was odd that she suddenly lost that bravery and became timid. It wasn't because she had been faking her courage earlier but because I forced her against me.' _Vegeta didn't want to admit that it was quite a blow to his pride that a woman didn't enjoy being close to him. However more than that he didn't want to admit how panicked he'd been at seeing her in that state._ 'I wonder, if I hadn't tried to shake her and check her pulse would she have eventually regained her senses.'_

"Earlier when we were making the deal she showed that stubborn bravery you're talking about. She was even willing to walk directly to the slave market when she thought that she wouldn't get anything out of working with me."

"I could see that. When Dr. Briefs told her that he wasn't going to release the new project they'd been working on for years she got angry and said that she'd install an emergency chip in them that would self-destruct at the push of a button in case they got stolen. That was a little extreme even for him and he finally relented when he discovered her actually designing them." She laughed a bit at the thought. "It's amazing that she can debate and discuss so well when she hasn't met others before. I always assumed that she learned it from watching TV or reading. She's always had a talent for learning how to take something and apply it to benefit herself. Debating, demanding, joking…,"

"Seducing?" Vegeta supplied the next answer in Chichi's list.

"Se-Seducing? No, Bulma's never shown any initiative to fall in love, let alone seduce someone."

"Before we started discussing things seriously, before she knew that I had already caught on to who she was she tried to flirt with me, trying to make me believe that she wasn't as smart as she really was. Twisting her fingers in her hair, looking at me from lowered lashes, giggling like an airhead: it would have been quite convincing had I not been able to tell that she wasn't actually interested in me sexually."

"Ah I bet she was just mimicking her mother in that case. Bunny was always the type to get a little too close for comfort."

'_Too close for comfort, huh? That wouldn't exactly be how I'd put it,' _Vegeta thought as looked towards the room where Bulma was resting. There definitely wasn't any sense of threat that normally had him on his guard. He wasn't paranoid enough to think that everyone was trying to attack him but he'd had more than one occasion met a woman trying to seduce him in attempts to cause him harm. This woman though, _'I wouldn't mind getting closer to her,'_ he thought amused.

His amusement was quickly cut short as he remembered what he'd learned in the short time he'd known her. Her constant trembling, her inability to speak, fainting when he'd gotten too close to her, not to mention what had happened to her when she was young: everything together concluded that there'd be little chance of having her willingly. _'Oh well, no need to bother myself with it. So what if she smelt good and has a fiery attitude? I've never been into older women anyway.'_

"Anyway," Vegeta started again, pushing through his distracted thoughts and more towards the original conversation, "you will be staying in Kakarot's extra room. You'll be acting as his concubine only in public. I know that you're the Woman's assistant but can you do anything else of use?"

"I did most of the chores around the household, even more so when my parents died and I came to live with Bulma's family. Cooking, cleaning, sewing: if it needs to be done I can do it. Bulma though, I taught her the basics, simple recipes and ways to keep house, but she never really had as much interest in housekeeping as I did so I wouldn't expect too much from her."

Vegeta had to resist the strong urge to roll his eyes when Kakarot suddenly showed rapt interest in the fact that she was a cook. Sure all Sayians required large amounts of food to balance out their high metabolism but even for Sayians Kakarot was a bottomless pit.

"I have a question about that." Chichi stated and both men gave her their attention. "It's just… I know that a concubine is supposed to be a side lover and not a permanent partner but do Bulma and I look like the types to fit that role? I mean, Bulma maybe, she's exotic, for a human at least, but I'm pretty plain," she said with an undertone of sadness, "but both of us aren't very Sayian-like, are we?"

Vegeta let his eyes travel the form of the brunette sitting before him. She _was_ pretty plain but then in a universe full of beings with scales and fur she at least looked similar enough to a Sayian to not be disturbing to bed so plain wasn't exactly a bad thing. Not that he had much of an interest in this one sexually. She wasn't bad but she didn't do anything for him.

Kakarot tilted his head to the side with a look of confused concentration on his face. "Actually you're pretty Sayian-like."

Vegeta made no attempt to hold back his disgust at such a comment as he scoffed. "So you're saying she's mannish and completely unattractive, Kakarot? You really know how to woo the women."

"Ah, no, I just meant that her hair and eye color are similar."

Chichi looked confused by the exchange between the two, "Mannish?"

Rubbing his head, Kakarot laughed, "Well, Sayians are a warrior race, right? We're naturally born hunters and are trained in the art of combat at a very young age, the women included."

"So I do look like one then," she pushed up a sleeve to reveal her toned arm. "I've been practicing martial arts so I've got more muscles than most men would want to see."

"Not at all," Kakarot laughed again. "Sayians love strong women though it's not attractive to us in a sexual sense but instead we think about how good they would be at having our offspring. You on the other hand have just enough muscle mass that it's still attractive."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow as he noticed the woman blush and look away. _'Seems she's a fan of the dumb, innocent type. She probably thinks he's a smooth talker but 10 to 1 that idiot doesn't even realize what he's saying.'_

"But… but you said that muscle mass on women isn't attractive in a sexual sense."

Vegeta spoke before Kakarot had a chance to unknowingly woo her more. "You don't seem to understand. All Sayians are trained in combat; gender doesn't make any difference in our society. In fact, it'd probably be easier just to say that there aren't any women and that we're just a race of men, some of which just happen to give birth."

She seemed to think about it for awhile before it finally dawned on her. "Ah so the women have a similar build to the men then?" Chichi seemed to think about that for a bit. "Ugh if it's anything like bodybuilding tournaments on Earth then I understand what you mean by mannish."

"Well not exactly the same, the woman are a bit sleeker than the men. Vegeta's just exaggerating a bit."

"When we get back to the ship she can decide for herself. In any case, to answer your original question before we got onto that disgusting topic, Kakarot has already declared you worthy of passing as his concubine and by your own declaration the woman is exotic enough that everyone will understand why I've picked her."

Of all the reactions he expected from his matter of fact statement laughter wasn't one of them. "By my declaration? Didn't you see enough of Bulma for her 'exoticness' to be obvious?"

If there was one thing Vegeta hated it was being laughed at but before he could snap at her for it he was interrupted by a new voice.

"No Chichi, I don't think he did. I was wearing that awful cloak the whole time, after all, so aside from my chin, my neck, and any hair that escape the hood I was pretty much hidden away."

Vegeta wanted to growl about being interrupted, to yell that he didn't accept others speaking for him but he couldn't. He couldn't speak. He couldn't move. He could barely even breathe. Of all the images he had pieced together in his attempts to give the cloaked woman a form that he could think of this was far from it. The vivid, slightly wavy blue hair that she'd flaunted at him before fell about mid back with the exception of a few shorter strands that framed her face. He'd been fascinated by her soft, pink lips earlier but now he couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from her no longer shaded bright blue eyes. There were no wrinkles or creases either so she couldn't be nearly as old as Frieza believed. When he finally was able to move his eyes away from her face he found that he had trouble moving them away from the shapely curves of her body. Much like the other woman she had a similar body type to the Sayians but other than that she was the very opposite of a Sayian woman. She was soft, feminine, and very, very exotic.

His chest suddenly felt tight and he coughed to try and ease the tension. It didn't help. Looking up he realized all eyes were on him as he must have sounded like he was dying.

"You… how old are you?" Vegeta asked with his hand still over his chest.

"I just turned 27 a few months ago."

Kakarot smiled at her. "Hey you're the same age as Vegeta. Oh but he's going to be turning 28 next month. Frieza thought that you were much older."

"Yeah Vegeta mentioned that. I suppose it'd be hard for anyone to believe the a seven year old was practically running a company, let alone responsible for many of the inventions put on the market," she laughed a bit as if imagining telling her story to someone before she looked back to Vegeta, her amusement leaving her. "Are you okay?"

Vegeta scowled at her. Not wanting to admit that he'd been so shocked at finally seeing her he decided to take a jab at her vanity instead. "Sayian senses are stronger than most. I was just temporarily overwhelmed by the amount of perfume you're wearing."

"Perfume? I don't have any perfume on. I've never had any reason to even own perfume before."

"Maybe it's just her natural scent, Vegeta," Kakarot suggested. "I don't think it smells bad but it is pretty unique."

The woman's confused expression turned to a glare of her own. "Well sorry that my unique sense is so offensive to you."

'_Offensive is the last word I'd use to describe your scent, Woman, but if you want to believe that it's affecting me negatively then that's better for me.'_ He cleared his throat. "In any case, you two need to pack up anything you're taking with you. We've wasted enough time here waiting for you to wake up from your much needed beauty rest. You have a lot of work to do since Frieza will be coming to my Birthday celebration next month to examine the work I've done so in addition to what you make for me to train with you'll have to have something for me to present to him as well."

"Excuse me?" Vegeta inwardly chuckled as the Woman's headstrong personality reared its head again. "I don't even know where to begin pointing out the problems with what you've just said. First off, this is a partnership. We may be playing the parts as your servants but that's only in the public's eye. Here in private we're on equal standing so if you think you're going to get anything out of me from barking out orders then you're sadly mistaken."

Vegeta was once again stunned by this Woman's suddenly turn in attitude. As infuriating as it was to have her talk back to him he couldn't help but like this version of her better than the shaking, frightened one_. 'If only she had the strength to back up her threats.'_

"Second, your level of taste must be pretty poor if you think I'm in any need of beauty sleep. Then again you complain so much about how bad the Sayian women look I kind of have to wonder if you're not just seriously in denial about it. Maybe you favor mannish women more than you'd like us to believe, if not actual men." Vegeta growled at that comment but she just ignored him. "Third: A month? Are you insane or has being a spoiled prince warped your sense of reality so much. Have you factored in how much time it'd take to get to your planet? Set up a workspace? Plan out and blueprint any inventions? Gather supplies? Yes I'm a genius but I can't instantly make everything you want just because you throw demands around."

Any appeal this turn in attitude had on him had quickly vanished with each word she'd said. "That's it." He pushed away from the wall and stalked right up to her. "Don't think I'm a pushover like your Father or your assistant, Woman," Despite her bravado she quickly backed away until she hit the wall behind her. "The universe isn't going to bow to you will just because you think it should. The only thing that justifies rank is power, not wit, not looks, and certainly not hollow threats from a frail woman that can't back her own words." She was already pressed as far up against the wall as she could be without becoming part of it but he punched the wall with his fists hard enough to dent the steel on either side of her just to make sure she understood.

"Stop it!" Chichi yelled, her attempts to interfere stopped only by Kakarot grabbing her arm.

"Yes we have a deal, Woman, and yes you're not actually a slave but don't think for once that you can tell me what to do especially when you don't know anything about the situation we're in. We don't have all the time in the world and regardless of what little time restrictions you're used to doesn't change the fact that Frieza will be coming in a month to see what 'I've' come up with."

Despite her violent trembling Bulma looked him in directly in the eyes. "Then we'll show him some of the stuff I've already made. If his expectations are similar to the garbage they're selling here then the stuff I made years ago will be more than adequate."

"What about the training equipment? More important than impressing Frieza is the need to surpass him."

"You'll just have to be patient and wait for that. In a month I should be able to fix up a few good things to 'Wow' Frieza with. After that's over with, we can work on making your little toys."

Leaning in to intimidate her further, he was once again interrupted by Chichi screaming. "Don't get so close to her! You've both made your point so give her some space."

"She's going to have to get used to being closer than this if we're going to fool anyone. It seems that in addition to you making something for Frieza we'll have to train you to not be terrified at my presence."

"I think I did pretty well earlier when those goons found us," Bulma reminded him.

"You mean when you were so terrified that you couldn't move or speak? Sorry to inform you but turning your head away so no one can see your terror won't fool Frieza." He reached up and ran his gloved fingertips along her cheek noticing with a sneer that her trembling was getting worse. '_Perhaps a different method of persuasion is needed,' _he thought as a smirk crept onto his face. "Or are you saying that that's the most we can expect out of you and that you're incapable of succeeding in such a simple task?"

Bulma narrowed her eyes further. "H-how dare you!"

"Bulma, no, he's just trying to provoke you," Chichi tried to reason with her but Bulma just ignored her.

"There is nothing I can't master any challenge if I set my mind to it. In time I'll be so convincing even you will believe I actually have feelings for you. You'll see." And with that she once again held her hand out, as if making another deal with him.

Vegeta cocked his head to the side, the smirk never leaving his face. 'Master any challenge? That goes for both of us then. Soon you'll be falling for me like every other woman I've set my sights on.' He reached out to grab her hand but instead of just shaking it he pulled her close so that their noses almost touched. "Make any challenge you want, Woman, but I promise that I'll be the victor."

* * *

A/N: There we go. Now that everyone's on the same playing field I hope there will be less repeating of the same things over and over. I hope it also explains a little more about Bulma's personality. Much like Vegeta she's going to have to get used to not always getting her way. Thanks for reading. I hope you liked it. Please review as I love hearing what you guys think.


	9. Capsules

A/N: Sorry for the wait everyone but with my finals last semester, art projects, and the holiday season, I've had little to no time to write. And I'm not going to make any promises for this semester being any better since it will be my last and it will be busy. I'll write when I can and I've taken the time to plot out more of the story so it should be relatively easy to put into writing I hope.

There is one thing that I have come to the conclusion while thinking and that's the rating of this fic. I was originally thinking that putting it at a teen rating would be better so that people wouldn't jump to conclusions about the future content of the story. However after thinking about it for awhile I come to an obvious problem: Can I write a fic where Bulma and Vegeta try to fool others into thinking that they're in an intimate relationship? Not a romance between a couple but a lust-based relationship between a master and a concubine at that?

It's possible, I'm sure, to write it but would it be believable? I personally don't think so after this chapter I will be moving the rating up to M so that it will allow for more room to suggest intimacy even if only as an act. I will say that people still shouldn't jump to thinking that there's going to be lemons in this fic since the characters current behavior, especially Bulma's, doesn't allow for that drastic of a jump. But there will be seduction. There will be teasing. And there will be steamy moments. And I think that's enough of a reason to justify the rating change.

Thank you for reading about this change and I hope that you will all be supportive of this decision. And now, please enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Despite all the arguing and bet making between her and the Prince, Bulma and Chichi were quick about gathering the things they'd need for the trip to Vegetasei, the Sayian's home planet. Bulma decided to make one more sweep so that nothing important was left behind while Chichi went ahead of her to where the two Saiyans were waiting. Finally sure that she had gotten everything Bulma started towards the door listening to the conversation going on just outside.

"Is that all you're taking?" Chichi looked over Kakarot as she walked over to where he and Vegeta were waiting.

"This should be enough for now. No need to bother with anything more than clothes and personal things," Chichi told him. "The rest will be fine in the ship."

"In the ship… but," he turned to Vegeta, "they're going on our ship, aren't they?"

Vegeta who had been reclining against a tree impatiently waiting for the women to gather things turned his glare from the city to Kakarot, "Of course they are. They're concubines, remember? If they showed up in their own ship everyone would be suspicious."

"I wasn't talking about flying in our own ship. Just that we'll be leaving everything we won't be using immediately on it," Chichi answered in hopes to clearing up the confusion she'd caused.

"Ah so you're just going to leave it all here with the ship. You do realize that the people here will eventually find it though. I doubt there'd be much left when you returned for it."

Now it was Chichi's turn to be confused. "What are you talking about? We're taking the ship with us, of course."

"Huh? Taking… it with us?"

Vegeta apparently had finally heard enough of the back and forth discussion to know that it was going to be solved anytime soon unless he intervened. "Didn't I just say that it would be suspicious for concubines to have a ship? What are we supposed to say, that we found this junk heap and decided to take it back with us?"

Bulma could help but laugh at Vegeta's rude comment. "And you say that my panicking is what will cause this plan to fall through."

Vegeta looked to the ramp that Bulma was now descending. "What, exactly, is that supposed to mean, Woman?"

"Only that you would be a failure of a scientist, '_My Prince'_," Bulma mocked with a small curtsy. Even though she wasn't over her fear of strangers she couldn't help but tease the moody Prince. Knowing that he needed her genius for this plan to succeed meant that he wouldn't hurt and that made her feel somewhat immortal. She never had this kind of feeling before but it made her feel good. And so she met his glare with a coy smile and continued her statement. "A real scientist would take a junk heap and come up with hundreds of ideas to make from it. The only limitation of science is one's imagination."

Chichi burst out laughing at Bulma's words. "Wow, Bulma, that was corny. You get that from your Father or an after school special?"

"Oh, hush. Who cares if it's corny if it's true?"

"Your corniness aside," Vegeta brought their attention back to him, "even if I did say that I was taking the ship to work on, there's no room for it in the cargo hold."

"That won't be a problem." Having said that Bulma moved over to the side of the ship and pressed a palm-sized panel. Shortly after, the ship disappeared in a puff of smoke. Reaching down, she picked up the three inch capsule the ship was now stored in before turning back to face the Sayians, smirking at their jaw-dropped, wide-eyed expressions. Not at Kakarot so much since he seemed to open with his emotions but for someone as cryptic and rude as Vegeta to be completely stunned about what he saw to the point that he couldn't even hide his feelings it was quite an ego boost. Then again the capsule technology was brilliant and no one has done it before. _'Well that certainly surprised him. Hopefully that's enough to show Vegeta what I'm capable of.'_

Feigning nonchalance, Bulma started to put the capsule in her bag. "Well then, shall we go?"

"Di-di-," Kakarot stuttered out, "Did you just blow up your ship?"

"No silly, it's right here," Bulma waved the capsule before the Sayians' eyes. "Nice and Compact."

"Wha… how...," Vegeta stuttered for a bit but seemed to realize how silly he looked and straightened himself out, "How did you do this?"

"This," Bulma held the capsule up to Vegeta again, "is my Father's life work and the project that caused him to withdraw from society for fear that it would be stolen. It's called a capsule. Through a special process, it can make anything pocket sized whether it be a cargo container, a house," she motioned to the now empty space behind her, "or a ship."

Bulma's smile grew as she saw that Vegeta was still pretty much stunned into silence, though it was more along the lines now that he was considering the possibilities, not only of the capsules, but of what she could do for him.

Finally Vegeta looked back at her. "How many people know about these?"

"That are alive? Only the four of us standing here. Dad destroyed all of the prototypes that I didn't take with me and we weren't going to release them to the public for another few months."

"You're positive?"

"The plans for the capsules were never discussed outside of the lab and the only people that worked in the lab were my Father, Chichi, and myself. Everything else was run by computers or robots."

"If that's true," Vegeta looked between Bulma and the capsule quickly before continuing, "then we've already succeeded in making something that will deliver a blow to Frieza's pride so you'll be able to concentrate on making something that will aide in our training."

Bulma rolled her eyes, "Yes because in one month you will have already developed something as ingenious as a capsule."

"Are you questioning my intelligence, woman?"

Still feeling brave, Bulma cocked her head to the side and smiled. "You have no technological background but still bragged about your ability to make inventions simply because you didn't want to lose a fight. Excuse me if I don't automatically give you a blue ribbon for bright ideas."

Both Kakarot and Chichi chuckled at Bulma's retort but quickly smothered their amusement at Vegeta's glare.

"And what, pray tell, do you think I should present him? A toy rocket?"

"No, but you can start with what Frieza already knows about. Surely Frieza mentioned some inventions my Father had shown him when he was talking to you."

Kakarot's face lit up. "Oh yeah, he mentioned that your father made his own version of the scouter that surpassed the army issued ones. And then Vegeta said that they were so out of date that he could make better ones."

"Kakarot if you want to be helpful go and scout a route to the ship that has to least amount of people. I'd prefer to avoid another one of her fainting spells."

Bulma ignored Vegeta's quip about her panic attack and watched as Kakarot quickly disappeared down the path to the city. "The scouters, huh? I do remember Dad mentioning that he was praised for his version of one."

"Please, a child could make a better version of the scouters than that junk Frieza has."

Bulma thought about it for a bit. "Well, it's a start."

"You want me to present him with a scouter. I'd be a joke."

"I said it's a start, not that you should walk in acting like you'll change the universe with it. Does Frieza know about the cloaking device?" Vegeta nodded. "Well with some modifications I could make the necklace I had earlier out of a stronger material. Oh, but I'll have to change the design, won't I? You don't seem like much of a jewelry guy."

Vegeta walked over and grabbed her wrist and in an instant all of the new fun feeling she was having teasing Vegeta was gone, replaced with the all too familiar feeling of panic. Despite her previous knowledge that Vegeta wouldn't hurt her because he needed her, she felt the sudden need to pull away before he used his grip to pull her closer. However he just pulled her hand up so that the capsule was in both their lines of sight. "You show me this level of technology and act like I shouldn't use it? You'll give me these because I said so and that's final."

"I knew it." Chichi called out. "You may have thrown the word 'deal' around to fool Bulma into thinking that this is some kind of equal partnership but we're nothing but slaves to do your bidding in your eyes, aren't we? We don't need to put up with this farce. Goku already gave me the coordinates to Namek so we can leave any time to live there in peace."

"Trust me if I thought of either of you only as slaves _you_ in particular would be dead by now because of your insolence. Assistant or not, I would force her to work without you. So since you're still alive you should take it that this is an equal partnership and accept that things could be so much worse. After Frieza is dead you two can go wherever the hell you want. You won't be seeing me torn at the thought of seeing either of you gone. However you must know that there is a difference between showing slightly better versions of things he has seen before and things that will stun them into silence. This invention would be more than enough to make those idiots seethe with jealousy," Vegeta growled when he noticed that Bulma was concentrating more on trying to pull away than what he was saying. "And would you stop freaking out every time I touch you? What happened to all that confidence about making everyone believe that you're in love with me?"

At that Bulma stopped struggling, though she was still visibly shaking. "I-I can give you one of the originals, or blueprints. With that…," she swallowed, "with that you should be able to present the concept to Frieza without it being too suspicious."

Vegeta held her wrist for a few more uncomfortable moments before letting it go. Even though she was looking at the ground she could still feel Vegeta's glare on her shaking form. She took a few steps back in order to regain her bearings, disappointed at herself that she looked so weak in front of him. She hated being weak and timid, it wasn't like her at all, but the more time she spent outside of her safe, enclosed world the more she realized that she may very well be mentally damaged beyond what her stubborn personality could accept.

'_No,'_ Bulma thought as she crossed her arms over her chest both in comfort and defiance,_ 'I refuse to stay like that, like this. Vegeta's using me to get revenge so I'll just use him to become a stronger person. I will overcome this irrational fear that I've submersed myself in. And then maybe, one day, I'll be able to live a peaceful life and be able to go out into public without jumping every time someone bumps into me. Maybe I'll even find someone that I enjoy being with.' _She nodded to herself, her pep talk readying her for the future.

"That will do, for now," Vegeta's voice interrupted her thoughts. "In any case it'll be dark soon so we should head to our ship. You can stay close to your 'friend' but don't hide yourself. I want everyone to see you so that there will be no doubt that you're mine."

"Um…," Bulma ran her hand through her hair before looking at him with nervous, downcast eyes, "should we hold hands?"

"Hold… what does that even mean?"

"Well, when Mom was still around she made me watch romance stories all the time and the people would often hold hands when they were walking somewhere."

Chichi coughed to cover up a laugh. "Bulma I'd normally say that you shouldn't compare romance in media to real life since real romance doesn't work the same way. But since this is also an act I suppose using some references wouldn't hurt too much. In any case, while people in a relationship would hold hands, this is nothing more than a slave/master ordeal so holding hands would seem more like you two were in love or an equal relationship."

Vegeta scoffed at Chichi's explanation. "Don't get the wrong idea with any of you 'romantic references', Woman. You should focus more on acts of lust if we're going to convince anyone."

"Don't say it like that!" Chichi argued again. "Just because Bulma flirted with you a little bit doesn't mean that she's ready for anything that could be mistaken for anything sexual."

Bulma blushed as Vegeta gave her a smirk before slowly approaching her again. "Do you think that's true, Woman? Who knows what else that mind of yours might come up with when you're cornered again? All those coy glances and pursed lips may lead to something more, wouldn't you think?"

Bulma couldn't stop her face from turning beet red. She didn't know why but seeing him move towards her with that smirk on his face made her heart skip a bit. It was a sense of panic she'd never felt before in her life. "I-I…," Bulma stammered to find a comeback but came up short. Luckily for her Kakarot broke the uncomfortable atmosphere between them.

"Vegeta, I've found a way."

Vegeta held Bulma's gaze for a few seconds longer before chuckling and moving away. "Good. Let's go."

Bulma stubbornly stayed in place until she felt Chichi grab her arm. "Are you sure about this, Bulma? We could always find a way out of this."

"No Chichi, I'm doing this. Not only to rid the universe of the evil that destroyed our planet but also to make me a stronger person. You said it yourself just this morning, Chichi. I can't stay hidden away from the real world forever."

"This is a little more than I meant though. You don't have to force yourself into doing something that you're not ready for. We can go somewhere else and work a bit at a time."

"If you want to go ahead to Namek I'll give you the ship but this is something I have to do."

Chichi sighed before squeezing Bulma's hand. "I'm not leaving you. You're the only family I have left."

Bulma gave Chichi a teary smile. "And you said I was corny," she said with a laugh that Chichi shared with her.

A cough cut through their laughs and they looked over at Kakarot who was smiling with his usual grin. "Sorry to interrupt but we better get going before Vegeta throws a fit."

Both women rolled their eyes at that. "Well we can't have that, can we, Chichi?"

"Oh absolutely not, Bulma. Lead the way, oh Master Goku."

"That's Master Kakarot," he said with a surprisingly stern face before reverting back to a grin, "At least in public."

"Right right, but I still think Goku suits you better."

"Well when we're not in public you're free to call me that. I like the name too to be honest."

Bulma walked behind watching the two chat with each other as if they weren't complete strangers. _'I wonder if this is what Chichi meant by love not being anything like the media portrays it to be.'_


	10. Troubles

A/N: Well this chapter is pretty light so I'm going to go ahead and upload it. Not much here with our main characters but I think it adds a bit. Also as promised I will be moving this story up to an M rating since it would be too difficult to write a lust based relationship (act though it may/suppose to be) with anything lower. Enjoy.

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"I want you to explain to me what happened and I suggest you be thorough and clear… since it may be the last time you'll ever be given a chance to explain why something didn't go exactly as I commanded," Frieza ground out coldly as he glared at the image of the terrified insect on the monitor. Normally he would have reveled at making yet another being quake in fear with mere words but at the moment he was too infuriated with the written report he'd just received.

"Ah, um, yes, y-you see…," the insect cleared its throat before continuing, "I met with Prince Vegeta as he arrived and told him that he was allowed to take any of the slaves, whether they were registered or not. B-But, as you, your honor, instructed, all of the slaves shown to him were already registered with the biological database and implanted with tracking chips."

"Is that so? Then please tell me," Frieza swallowed the last bit of wine in his glass before throwing it to the ground," why is it that the slave Vegeta took can't be located and isn't registered!"

"I-I don't know, Sire. I mean, there were several slaves that hadn't yet been sent through screening but we made sure that they were hidden away in the back part of the stockyard in areas guarded by at least 30 men so there's no way he could have gotten by without anyone noticing."

"Obviously not hidden or guarded enough," Zarbon sneered, "since Vegeta was reported to have gotten, not one but two, slaves from your premises that weren't documented."

"Yes," Frieza agreed, "and since I doubt he'd be able to tell the difference between a marked and unmarked slave, the only other option is that you must have tipped him off."

"NO, I would never betray you, Lord Frieza. I gave him your message about taking any slave he wanted and then left him alone, a-and by a-alone I mean under surveillance, of course."

"You taped his actions?"

"Ah, no. No but I had someone watching him at all times. However…," the bug swallowed but starting again, "however, at some point he just… disappeared."

"Disappeared? What do you mean?"

"That is what my men reported. He browsed for about an hour and then he was suddenly gone. At first I got onto them for not paying attention but it seemed as if he had left."

Frieza closed his eyes considering this when Zarbon spoke again, "May I, Lord Frieza?" Receiving only a 'go on' gesture, Zarbon asked, "Was anyone with Vegeta during all this?"

"Pardon?"

"From what you're telling us it seems as if Vegeta came to the stockyards alone."

"Oh yes, he was definitely alone."

"Then clearly, why you were so concerned with watching Vegeta, his right hand man snuck in the back and found two unregistered slaves. Doesn't that seem probable, my Lord?"

"Yes, yes it does." Frieza responded. "This would still mean that you," he opened his eyes to glare at the screen "are responsible for my ruined plan."

"My Lord, I beg you, wait. What if… what if the slaves Vegeta was reported as having weren't actually from here? Could it not be that he merely grabbed someone off the street and simply told your men that he had fulfilled your demand before throwing them back? That would allow him to lead you to believe that he had gotten a slave from us but later find suitable replacements before you had a chance to see them for yourself."

Again, Frieza closed his eyes. "Zarbon, read that report for me again?"

"Yes, Lord Frieza."

'Prince Vegeta told us to inform you that he has accepted his gift. This was the same slave that we had pursued under the thought that she had somehow escaped from the stockyard. However Prince Vegeta explained that she was simply trying to find him after she had gotten separated in the crowd from his second in command. While we were not completely sure about the validity of his explanation the fact remains that the slave did not seem to try to get away from him. If judgment of the true circumstances still needs to be made that is up to you of course, Lord Frieza.'

"Clearly their report backs up my theory that Kakarot had obtained the slaves while Vegeta stayed behind to distract the guards."

"Sire, please," the insect begged in a last ditch effort to save himself, "that report mentions that Vegeta said that his second had been with him but we don't know if that is true or merely a lie as your men never saw him. And that woman could have been anyone, a tourist that was terrified of your men and ran away. Surely a slave wouldn't accept capture from her new master but a stranger could have sought him out as a source of rescue unknowing of who he was. He could have used that to his advantage and tossed her to the side as soon as he was in the clear."

"I suppose that is possible too. No matter. I will call King Vegeta and see whether or not his son arrived with his gift. If he did then there's little debate about how he got them since it only matters that he's got them. If he didn't then I'll call him on it and he'll see what happens when someone denies my generosity. In the meantime, I suggest that you get back to work."

"Yes, Lord Frieza," the insect bowed before the screen went black.

Wasting no time, Frieza pulled up another screen revealing a waiting soldier. "Kill him. Then you're in charge."

"Sir, yes sir!" he answered without question before the screen turned off.

"Zarbon, get me another glass of wine."

"I've already prepared one for you, my Lord."

"Ah, it's good that at least you are capable of fulfilling orders."

"But of course. I'm well aware that your orders aren't something to be pushed aside but prepared for in advance."

"And why is that Zarbon?"

"Simply because they are your orders, Lord Frieza, and shouldn't be treated any other way."

"Very good, Zarbon. Now off with you. You've got to finish sorting through the new crop of work slaves and I've got to call my dear friend King Vegeta for a chat."

"At once, sire."

Once the door closed, Frieza searched for the Saiyan ship's signal surprised to see that it was still on Yapisha. "Well well, what could be keeping you?"

* * *

"Any sign of him?" King Vegeta asked from his throne in the survey deck for what felt like the 15th time that day.

"No, my King. Neither Prince Vegeta nor Kakarot have been seen yet."

"Blast, what could he possibly be doing?"

One of the crewmen laughed and called out over his shoulder. "Maybe he decided to take his new concubine somewhere to have some fun?"

"Are you seriously suggesting that he would willingly go through with that? Vegeta barely takes the time to seduce free women."

"Well, it's not like he has a choice in this matter, not with Lord Frieza being the one to give it to him."

"Frieza is not here so don't want you kissing his ass by calling him with that title. He is just our business partner, not our_ lord_," he said with disgust.

Suddenly a door opened and in rushed another Saiyan soldier. "My King, Lord Frieza…,"

"What did I just say about calling him that?" King Vegeta interrupted with a bellow.

There was a pause before the soldier continued, "… is on the line."

"Fuck. Out. All of you," he ordered. "Make yourself useful and look for my son. He had better be here by the time I'm done with this." After the few soldiers left their stations, he rubbed a hand over his tired face before pulling up the comscreen. "Did you need something, Frieza?"

"Hmm, I wonder if I should be offended or if your rudeness should be attributed to the fact that you're still on Yapisha for some reason. Engine trouble?"

"I wish. At least then I'd know what was going on. No, Vegeta has just suddenly decided to disappear and I have no idea where he could be."

"Is that so? Pity, I wanted to get a glimpse of the slave he picked before we got too far apart for our signals to reach."

"…The what?"

"Come now, Vegeta, you haven't forgotten about the gift I presented your son."

"No, I just… didn't expect him to actually pick one up, despite your insistence."

"Why wouldn't he? There was quite a wide array of available slaves to pick from so he should have been able to find something that suited his… peculiar tastes."

"I'm well aware of his pickiness."

"Picky? From what I heard he doesn't favor his own race at all. That must be quite troublesome for you since it'll be hard to get an heir out of him, at least one of pure blood and not a whore's child."

"If that happens I'll deal with it then."

"Yes, of course, that would be best. Do keep in mind that if it gets to troublesome waiting for him to produce an heir to pass on that I'm more than willing to assign you a high rank in my empire."

"I'll go ahead and turn down your offer for now, as gracious as it is. I have faith that Vegeta eventually settle down and find someone that can suit his tastes in the long run."

"Well let's hope that your faith isn't misplaced. In any case, I only called to see Vegeta with his gift before the comscreen loses its signal but since he's off doing who-knows-what I guess that won't be soon. Please do send me a message once he arrives telling me if he got them there in one piece though."

"Yes, of course. I'll make sure to do that as soon as I get a chance."

"See you at the Vegetasei banquet next month," Frieza said with a wicked smile before signing off.

Closing the connection, King Vegeta sighed before sinking further back into his chair. "Like I needed a reminder that getting an heir out of Vegeta was going to be next to impossible."

He wished he had noticed it sooner, his son's dislike for female Saiyans. When he was younger he just attributed it to being focused on training and the inevitable war that would occur once Frieza finally decided to stop playing nice and attempt to take over. But as time went on he realized that his son didn't seem to have any desire to seek sexual comfort, even at an age where his hormones should have made him want to. Finally, shortly before Vegeta had turned 20, he had called him and asked him directly.

"_There isn't a problem," Vegeta had instantly answered. "I don't want to have this conversation with you."_

"_Don't tell me that. At your age you should be past single hormone driven couplings and on towards seriously considering who you want to have as a permanent partner."_

"_I'm not ready for a mate."_

"_I'm not talking about a mate, though that is something you should also be considering. I'm talking about a personal concubine, a woman who exists solely for you not only as a release for sexual desire but also as a comfort to ease yourself from loneliness."_

"_I'm perfectly fine with being alone. I have better things to do than dealing with something as shameful as finding a whore."_

"_Concubines are not the same as whores and there is nothing shameful about having one."_

"_Forcing yourself upon an unwilling woman is completely shameful."_

"_Vegeta…," King Vegeta tried to reason with his son but was cut off._

"_I don't care what you think. I don't want, or need, a concubine."_

_Sighing, King Vegeta decided that it was a lost cause to force that issue any further at the moment and decided to move on. "Very well, then I'll get back to my original point. Why are you not seeking out sexual comfort at all?" King Vegeta knew he was onto something as he saw his son flinch and look away. "You have to understand, boy, people do talk about these kinds of things. While you can get out of turning down palace whores as not wanting to use something shared or not wanting to forced, it doesn't explain why you turn down offers from very willing women. And don't tell me that no one is asking, I've seen women talk about you all the time. Why, at the eltie games last year I heard at least four women discussing about their attempts to seduce you only to get so crudely shot down. What is your reasoning behind that?"_

"_I simply didn't want them. There doesn't need to be any reason other than that."_

"_What was wrong with them? They are strong, well-bred, attractive…,"_

"_Attractive?" Vegeta cut him off, "You think those beasts are attractive?" King Vegeta's confusion showed clearly on his face as he watched his son, who had before been seated jump up and pace from side to side, as if he'd been holding back this tirade for quite awhile just waiting for a time to burst. "Have you seen them? Bulging muscles, rough, callused skin, stiff, coarse hair. There's nothing appealing about them at all."_

"_Those are perfect attributes for any warrior, Vegeta. Unlike other races, we don't want our women to be frail and useless but equals to our men."_

"_EXACTLY!" He yelled out before returning to his pacing, his tail violently swishing behind him. "They are exactly the same as the men here. Same build, same voices, same personalities. Might as well slap a wig on Nappa since the amount of arousal would be the same."_

_Finished with his tirade Vegeta stopped pacing and instead focused on his breathing in attempts to regain his composure. King Vegeta watched him silently for a few moments as he thought about what he had just seen. "This… is precisely what I'm talking about Vegeta. You may not be ready to find a mate yet but if you don't find a way to release your pent up frustrations you're just going to make things worse."_

"_I…I don't want a concubine," Vegeta panted out finally regaining a normal breathing pattern. " I don't need to prove my worth by forcing a woman to have sex with me."_

"_Then don't, there are plenty of willing women."_

"_I DON'T," Vegeta started before King Vegeta cut him off._

"_Not Saiyan women. There are plenty of foreign women who will accept a night of lust that don't have to be paid or forced. If you don't want to use palace slaves on the planets we visit, you can take it upon yourself to learn how to charm women into getting what you want. Perhaps in time after you've sampled the various kinds of women in this universe you'll begin to see how the women of our race have a unique attractiveness of their own."_

"_Forgive me if I don't see that ever happening."_

He had laughed it off then thinking that his son was just young but now, nearly 8 years later, it didn't look like his opinion had changed much. Yes he had taken to seducing alien women and had become quite skilled at doing so but none had kept his attention for more than a single night. Things were indeed troubling, not only as the king looking out for his planet but also as a father looking out for his son.

A shout in the hallway followed by several excited voices talking all at once interrupted his heavy thoughts. Getting up he moved to the door, startling the soldiers outside it. "What's with all the commotion?"

"Ah, Prince Vegeta has returned, my King," one of them answered.

"Well as much as I'm glad that we can finally leave I don't see why that fact needs to be celebrated with this much discussion."

"It's not his arrival we're reacting too."

"Yeah, apparently Prince Vegeta did pick up a slave and I hear she unlike anything seen before."

"I saw her myself. The one Kakarot picked looks just like a scrawny Saiyan but Prince Vegeta's choice… maybe I should consider sampling outside our race."

The three laughed as they hurried down the hall towards the docking bay leaving their confused king behind to wonder what was going on. Moving at a more relaxed pace, King Vegeta made his way down to the hall only to see a crowd of curious soldiers surrounding the entrance ramp trying their best to get a glimpse of this mysterious beauty Vegeta had brought on board. As soon as his men noticed his presence they moved aside so that he could make his way where he could finally his son standing. "Good to see you could finally join us."

Vegeta turned around from the woman he was looking at and King Vegeta felt his eyes widen as he finally saw what all this fuss was about. Clinging desperately to what he could summarize as a softer, more refined looking Saiyan woman was a woman with skin as pale and smooth as cream and hair and eyes a vibrant hue of blue. Though given that his son was holding her shoulder perhaps she was not normally this pale but was instead just terrified of the large crowd tearing her apart with their stares.

Deciding that everyone had had enough time to see her, he turned to the ship's captain. "Well? Vegeta is here, why aren't we preparing to leave yet?"

"AH! Of course, my King. Everyone to your posts. We take off within the hour."

Everyone reluctantly scrambled to their posts trying to catch one last glimpse of the woman before boarding the ship. Hearing a loud gasp, King Vegeta looked back at the pale woman.

"B, it's okay now. Look up, there's not a crowd anymore," the raven haired woman spoke trying to assure the other into calming down.

"Snap out of it, Woman," his son called out more coldly. "My Father is here and I don't want him thinking that I've taken interest in a sniveling mess of a woman." Those that didn't know him well would think Vegeta was being cruel to the obviously terrified woman but King Vegeta knew his son well enough to raise an eyebrow at the underlying teasing tone that went with it.

However, what happened next shocked him the most. More than the fact that his son had actually taken up Frieza's offer of a concubine. More than the fact that his choice was truly very unique sight to see. No, more shocking than either of those things was the fact that this sniveling mess of a woman shakily raised her head and looked Vegeta directly in the eyes and then with anger, not fear, responded, "Very sorry, Master Vegeta."

At his son's returning smirk, King Vegeta had to ask himself, _'Could Vegeta have finally found someone that can hold his interest beyond a moment of lust?'_


	11. Personal Issues

A/N: This chapter just kept going and going but we get to see things from both Bulma and Vegeta's point of view plus a little Goku/Chichi moment just to break things up. Hope you enjoy. :3 EDIT: Also I've gotten several requests to turn on non member reviews. I originally had it off because of spam in the past but I turned them back on now. So if you've never been able to leave a review before because of that, you should be able to now.

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Despite the fact that they seemed to making great time, walking around the outside of the city's wall allowed the four to move with few objects or people to hinder their progress, Vegeta seemed to be irritated with how slow they were moving.

"I knew you were weak, Woman, but your pace truly is pathetic," Vegeta called out without breaking his stride. "Don't tell me you're out of breath already."

"I'm breathing fine, _thank you very much_," Bulma answered sharply, "but there wouldn't be a problem if you didn't insist on sprinting all the way to your ship. Seriously, what's the hurry? It's not like they're going to leave without you."

"We've already wasted enough time waiting for you to wake up from your little fainting spell. It's already dark and I know that my Father is going to complain about why I've been gone so long."

"Ah, my apologies," Bulma said as sweetly as she could, "Let's pick it up, Chichi. We wouldn't want the Prince to get in trouble with his Daddy for breaking his curfew."

Bulma knew that she crossed the line when Kakarot moved forward and caught Vegeta's shoulder before he could turn completely around and carry out the threat his glare promised, "Well, delays aside, here we are. Better not keep the King waiting any longer." Despite Vegeta's low, rumbling growl Kakarot kept his smile in place until, after one more annoyed glance at her, he continued towards their ship in the distance.

An elbow to the ribs brought her attention to Chichi. "Really, Bulma? Do you have a death wish?"

"I'm sorry. I don't know what it is about him that brings out the worst in me. In any case, let's go."

"To be honest, aside from the fact that you're teasing could get you killed I don't think it's all that bad," Chichi grabbed Bulma's arm before picking up their pace.

Bulma laughed at the strange words coming out of her normally straight laced friend. "How is nearly getting myself killed not that bad?"

"Don't you see it, Bulma?" Bulma shook her head so Chichi dug through her bad and pulled out a compact mirror, holding it up so Bulma could see herself. "Your demeanor, your smile: you're not hiding your face or clutching to my arm for dear life."

Taking the mirror from Chichi's hands, Bulma brought it closer to see her reflection, nearly gasping aloud at the sight she was seeing: Herself. _'When was the last time my skin had been more peachy than white? When was the last time I held my shoulders back and my head high when outside? When was the last time I smiled as if I was going to laugh, truly laugh, without a care in the world?' _Certainly it had been before the name Frieza had ever been uttered in her presence. _'When was the last time I looked in the mirror and saw the real me?' _She didn't know and she didn't know how long it would last but she wanted to enjoy it as much as she could while it lasted.

Unfortunately, the amount of time she could enjoy her newly returned countenance was far too brief as a previously unheard voice reached her ears. "Holy Hell, hurry up, you guys have got to see this?" Thinking that someone was pointing out something interesting, Bulma looked up only to see that the object of interest was, in fact, her. To make matters worse, because it was night, there was no longer any need to where the sun protection cloaks so she could practically feel their eyes rake every inch of her body.

'_Where did all these people come from?'_ One moment she was walking briskly with Chichi with the ship in the distance and now they were surrounded by several _huge_ men. She had thought Kakarot was tall but now it was clear that he was more of an average height for a Saiyan, which would mean that Vegeta, despite the confident way he held himself, was actually very, very short by their standards. She would have laughed at the thought of Vegeta's reaction to being called short if it weren't for the fact that the men surrounding her didn't seem to understand the concept of personal space.

Suddenly Bulma was aware of the overwhelming panic filling her again, a state that she was sadly becoming more familiar with than she wanted. She looked down, examining her reflection once again only to see that her skin tone and demeanor had also returned to the timid appearance she has had as of late. She wanted to stand up and look these people in the eye, to tell them that she wasn't some oddity to be examined, but as their shadows came closer to her down turned eyes she felt as if the crushing pressure would cause her to faint again.

Feeling her shoulder being grabbed, she clenched her eyes shut to stop herself from screaming. She knew it was Vegeta, she knew that he wasn't going to hurt her, she knew that. But despite her mind screaming that her body frustratingly refused to accept it.

"Welcome back, Prince Vegeta. I see you took up Frieza's offer for a concubine after all."

"Of course he did. Saying no to Frieza is like asking for war."

"She's definitely got looks going for her. Perhaps you could get her to straighten up so we can get a better look at her."

What direction the comments were coming from, how many people were talking, if comments were honest or suggestive: Bulma couldn't answer any of those questions at the moment as all the voices seemed to be mixing together into a muddled mess.

"Who says that you're allowed to get a better look?" Vegeta's voice cut through the murmurs, silencing them instantly. "I accepted Frieza's gift, Kakarot and I found two slaves willing to be our concubines rather than be sold to an unknown bidder, that the black haired one is Kakarot's and this one," he squeezed her shoulder possessively, "is mine. All you have to know beyond that is that they are both off limits. Do I make myself clear?"

A chorus of 'Yes, Prince Vegeta' rung out but it didn't seem that being off limits was the same as 'stop staring' since no one seemed to move from their spots. That was until another booming voice broke through.

"Good to see you could finally join us."

Bulma didn't have to look up to guess that this voice belonged to someone of great authority as even Vegeta seemed to feel the need to step back and face the speaker. _'Must be his Daddy,'_ she joked to herself in a small attempt to pull herself back together.

After a few moments, perhaps he was also looking her over, he spoke again. "Well? Vegeta is here, why aren't we preparing to leave yet?"

"AH! Of course, my King. Everyone to your posts. We take off within the hour."

There was some more talking amongst the onlookers but thankfully the shadows surrounding them started to disperse relieving some of the tension enough that she could concentrate on regulating her breathing. Wincing at the first loud gasp she took in, she tried again succeeding in using her nose instead of her mouth.

"B, it's okay now. Look up, there's not a crowd anymore," Chichi said comfortingly to her side. Despite knowing how embarrassed Bulma was being like this in front of the Saiyans didn't stop the nurturing side of her personality.

Which would have been fine, if not for the fact that Vegeta seemed to noticed exactly how embarrassed Bulma was and tease her about it. "Snap out of it, Woman. My Father is here and I don't want him thinking that I've taken interest in a sniveling mess of a woman."

Bulma clenched the fist not clutching Chichi tightly as she slowly looked up to see Vegeta's cruel smirk. Barely remembering that she was supposed to play the part of an obedient slave, she answered back a false apology. "Very sorry, Master Vegeta."

Breaking eye contact with his amused look, lest she decide to act out on the desire to slap him, she looked past him to see the other man that had spoken she was surprised to basically see an older version of Vegeta. He was definitely taller than Vegeta, not as tall as some of the hulks she had seen earlier but definitely closer to Kakarot's height, and sported a goatee. Bulma noted that his coloring was more brownish than the pure black of the prince. She also noted that he was once again examining her so she took one more breath before standing up straight.

"Well, that's better, at least," the King nodded in approval, "I was beginning to think that you were just naturally hunched over but it seems that you just had a bit of a fright. Given your delicate stature I take it that your species is overall smaller than our own."

"Yes, definitely," Bulma breathed out trying to pass off some sense of normalcy.

"There are a few men that are tall and strong," Chichi added, "but not nearly as much as your race. Or most of the other races we've seen today really."

"I see," the King responded before turning to his son. "Do you even know their names, Boy?"

Vegeta shrugged but before he could say anything Kakarot beat him by answering, "She wouldn't tell him her name at first so he just calls her Woman," his smile was knocked from his face when Vegeta hit him, "OW!"

"That bit of information wasn't necessary," at his Father's laughing he controlled himself. "Woman is fine since that's what she is. If you want to call her something else, go ahead, I don't care."

Looking back at the women, the King continued. "So what are your names? I recall you calling her 'B' but what is that short for?"

"Oh… um," Chichi stuttered.

Bulma wondered what the problem was but realized that it may have to do with not being able to use her real name in public. After all, if Frieza knew her last name there was a chance that he knew her first name. It was too risky to use anything too close to it but if Chichi chose something too odd there was the chance that she wouldn't remember to call her it. _'What to do? She already said that it starts with B so she'll have to choose an easy 'B' name to call me.' _

Finally Chichi seemed to have made a decision. "It's… B. B is her name, of course."

"B is her name?"

Bulma nearly wanted to fall over at her friend's lack of creativity but decided to back her up. "Yes, my name… is Bea. It's spelt B-E-A but its pronounced 'B'."

"Hmm," The King looked at her closely before shrugging, "I see. And yours?"

"Mine is Chichi," she curtsied slightly.

King Vegeta didn't seem to be so sure of either of the names he was given but seeing as how Chichi's was real it was most likely due to the names being different from those elsewhere in the universe. _'Your names are the weird ones,' _Bulma thought to herself. Saiyans seemed to be named after Vegetables and Frieza always made her of a rapper talking about appliances. For someone to be think that names like 'Bea' or 'Chichi' were odd made her wonder just how well they would have made it alone in this vast universe.

Finally, the King turned to look at Vegeta again, "Frieza called. He wanted to see your slaves before the connection is lost."

"He can see them when he comes to the banquet next month, the same time he sees my inventions."

"Are you still standing by that even while in private? Are you actually going to waste precious training time coming up with something in attempts to back up your claim?"

"Yes I am still standing by that and I will make something worth presenting him. And don't worry, I'll make up for lost training time by making something that will enhance that too." Vegeta stated, apparently already listing off the things he was going to have her start working on as soon as possible.

"What are you talking about?"

Bulma's eyes narrowed in thought as she listened to the conversation between Vegeta and the King. '_Didn't we just have this conversation? About what he can present without it being glaringly obvious that he didn't make it.'_

Bulma noticeably jumped when he grabbed her wrist pulling her away from Chichi and towards the ship's ramp. "I don't need to explain all my plans to you, Old Man."

"Vegeta, stop being ridiculous," the King yelled after him.

Vegeta just moved on, smirking. "You'll be surprised what I can do if I set my mind to it."

Once on board, Vegeta kept pulling Bulma towards a hall before calling back to Kakarot. "Go to the survey deck and have the blueprint for my floor of the palace sent to me. I want the workers to have my lab installed in my room before we arrive next week."

"Yes, Vegeta," Kakarot answered before gently grabbing Chichi's hand.

It took a second longer than it should have for Bulma to realize that Chichi wasn't moving in the same direction she was. _'What's going on? We're being separated? Where is she going or better yet,'_ she looked at the long door lined hallway wondering how anyone could tell them apart from each other, _'where am I going?'_

* * *

"Where is he taking her, Goku?" Chichi asked as they walked down a hallway opposite the one Vegeta took Bulma.

Kakarot gave her a worried smile. Luckily there wasn't anyone in sight to overhear her way of talking to him but that didn't mean that they shouldn't play it safe. "Chichi, please, don't call me that in public."

"Oh! Right, sorry, Master Go- Kakarot. But seriously, what's going on?"

"Look, I promise that it'll be more comfortable for both of you when we get home. You'll have your own room and you'll be able to see Bulma whenever you want but the ship is a different story. Even the royal rooms are quite sparse with only bed, a small sitting area for meetings, and an enclosed bathroom."

Chichi's face went pale. "Bulma has to share with that… that…," she tried to come up with a word to describe Vegeta but at Goku's serious look she remembered the situation and lowered her voice. "I mean, there's not much room there, surely Prince Vegeta would prefer to be alone. Bul- B and I wouldn't mind sharing."

Shaking his head, he made his way to a large door. "There really isn't any room unless you want to sleep in the prison, which you don't. Our prison isn't as bad as Frieza's but they're still not comfortable." Noticing Chichi's worried expression, he changed the subject. "In any case, I'll go ahead and sleep on the couch for now."

"Really? You don't mind?"

"Not at all, it's really comfy."

And much like many times that day, Kakarot's cheery smile seemed to blow all of Chichi's worries away. She was still concerned about Bulma, mainly because she was stubborn and doubted that either she or Vegeta would choose to sleep on the couch, but they'd figure something out.

Finally making it to, what she assumed was at least since there was no markings, the survey deck, Kakarot walked over to a soldier. "By orders of Prince Vegeta I need access to the palace blueprints."

"You'll need to use the computer through there for any long distance transmissions to the palace."

Nodding, he and Chichi moved to the computer room. Chichi gasped at the large system before her. "Wow, I never expected to see a super computer on this ship."

"Why not?"

"Well, the Saiyans seem to be more interested with combat than technology so seeing something this impressive is quite interesting."

"Well, as warriors, we have to be able to communicate with our home planet even at all times to hear about missions or to know if there is something happening that needs the King's attention so all of us are trained to know a basic amount of technological skills to keep us connected."

"Ah, of course, that makes perfect sense."

There was a moment of pause between them before Kakarot rubbed his head. "That being said, I have no idea how to use this."

Chichi barely covered her mouth before disrespectfully laughing at her 'Master's' computer skills. "Let me have a look at it." While she wasn't a genius like Bulma or Dr. Briefs she had been around them enough to pick up a few skills from them. She made quick work of finding the files only getting stuck on parts that were written in the Saiyan language which were translated by Kakarot.

'_Still it seems odd that any of those gawking giants would be able to work this any better than Goku could. These keys look like they were made for smaller hands first off.'_ That thought made her remember something from an earlier conversation. "Hey, Master, are their no women employed on this ship?"

Kakarot cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Sure there are. We have about 20 on the crew and we have 10 warriors in the barracks."

"But why haven't we seen any yet?"

"There were at least 25 of them outside when we arrived."

"WHAT? But, I didn't see any women out there. Oh wow, you guys were right, they look exactly like the men here."

"You're so mean. Not everyone can be as pretty as you," Kakarot didn't even seem to notice Chichi's blush as he continued on with, "and be honest, you were more worried about 'B' than you were with looking at the crowd, weren't you?"

Chichi managed to tamp down her blush enough to think about it. "Yes, I guess you're right. I'm going to pay attention next time." She grabbed the blueprints that were printed out of the computer before leaning in close. "If we walk by any women, tell me, okay?"

She was answered with only a laugh.

* * *

Vegeta headed straight towards the royal wing of the ship intent on getting to his room as soon as possible. He had almost made it there when Bulma's voice distracted him from his thoughts. "Wait, where are they going?"

"Pay attention when people are talking and you'd know that," he knew that wasn't the answer she wanted because she vainly tried to pull her arm away from him.

"Where are we going?" She asked again.

"My room, of course, where else?" He answered simply before arriving at the door to his room. Punching in the code, he waited just long enough for the door to open before pulling Bulma inside and closing it behind them.

He had barely enough time to lock the door before he heard something hurtling towards him. Turning, he easily caught the lamp, examining it before meeting the eyes of the furious woman before him.

"How dare you!" Bulma yelled at him, stomping her foot childishly on the ground.

Vegeta had to chuckle, not only at the sight but also the situation entirely. "You throw a lamp at me and then have the gall to call me out on my daring?"

"Answer my question! Where is Chichi going?"

"Kakarot either took her back to his room or to help him with the computer needed to print the blueprints. Actually I'm positive that's what he did since there's no chance he'd be able to get anything off that computer on his own."

"His room? You mean she's sharing with her?"

"Of course, you don't think everyone, let alone slaves, would get their own room, did you? I already said that you'll get a private room once we're at the palace but space it tight on the ship so you'll both be sharing our rooms for the week." This annoying fit of hers was only going to get more annoying as the obvious problem with the sleeping arrangements was surely about to come up.

Sure enough she looked around the room; at the only bed she could see before moving to the only two doors, to the closet and to the bathroom, before turning to face him again. "Where am I going to sleep?"

"On the couch."

"The couch?"

"Look, Woman, this is my room and I refuse to sleep on the couch so unless you want to share the bed with me…," he purposely trailed off, hoping Bulma's imagination would fill in the blanks.

"No, the… the couch will be fine."

"Glad you could see it my way. Now, when Kakarot does get the blueprints, you will need to look at them and decide what needs to be done to make my study into your private lab. And be fast about it, I want to send the changes back so the lab will be ready by the time we arrive so you can get to work. You'll only have three weeks to modify the ki suppressor, enhance the scouters, make a cloaking device, pull together some of your capsule prototypes, and start thinking up ways to make my training more progressive."

"Ugh, you're doing it again! I'm only going to say this one more time, Vegeta," Bulma yelled causing him to narrow his eyes at basically being scolded. "Just because I _can _make something doesn't mean that you, who suddenly picked up the practice, can. You might be able to fool Frieza since, not living with you, he doesn't know what you actually do for hobby, but your Father does. There's no way he's going to accept that you suddenly have 50 things invented. He'll know something's up."

"I'm not a child, I don't need to take baby steps on everything."

"This isn't about pride, Vegeta. This is about trying to fix the trouble your pride got you into and I can't help you fix anything if you ruin it by trying to show off too much too fast."

"I'm going to ruin things? Any progression I make can just be attributed to the fact that I'm a genius but never put my time into inventing. If anyone's going to ruin things it's you!"

Bulma's jaw dropped. "Me?"

"Yes you. If you faint every time you see people no one is going to believe that I'm using you as a concubine. People have to believe that we're sexually active, intimate even, but if you jump every time I touch you people are going to know that you're terrified and I won't allow anyone to think that I'm raping you so you need to get over your pathetic behavior before you worry about my actions."

Bulma grabbed a pillow off the couch and threw it at him this time.

"You don't understand anything. You don't know what it's like to want to be strong but be physically frozen; terrified to the point you can barely breathe. You don't know how embarrassing it is to know that the same people who know you can stand up straight and be confident see you trembling and afraid. You think you can just poke and prod and tease and torment to get what you want but you don't understand anything at all."

Despite her fury, which was hilarious as she couldn't cause any actual damage, Vegeta couldn't help but turn her words around to something more suggestive. "I don't recall poking or prodding you but if you want me to I'd be happy to oblige." That comment caused another object to be thrown at him which he caught just as easily. It would have amused him had the next object she reached for not been a familiar picture frame sitting on a side table. Before she even touched it, he grabbed it and flipped it down so that the picture was hidden from view. "If you value your life, you won't throw anything else."

Bulma seemed startled but looked down at Vegeta's hand firmly holding the picture down. "I'm sorry, is that picture important?"

"None of your damn business. I don't care about your coddled life before this, Woman, but take your tantrums elsewhere."

He never seemed to get the proper reaction from this woman as she simply narrowed her eyes again and muttered, "You're a bastard."

It was counterproductive to make her terrified of him but he didn't want a repeat of this to happen so he had to make sure his point was being made. Moving closer he pressed his hands on the wall on either side of her body, not touching her but enough to make her start to panic.

She pressed back as far as she could, as if she could will herself to pass through the wall and away from the danger he presented. After a few more seconds she finally broke, "O-okay. I won't throw anything else, I promise. Just please back up."

Vegeta looked at her, dragging his eyes away from her tightly shut eyes to where she was biting her lip down to her shaking body before moving his eyes back up. For some reason, despite his need to have her obey him, it bothered him that she was so terrified that she couldn't even bear to be a foot away from him. _'Of course it bothers me. We'll never be able to pass this ruse off if she can't even stand near me without shaking. Time to start working on that.'_

"No."

"No? What do you mean no?"

"No, I'm not going to back up. If you want to remedy this bad habit of yours, you need to start facing it head on."

"I-I can't. It's too much."

"Stop being a coward, it doesn't suit you!"

Seeing Bulma's wide, blue eyes pop open and look directly into his made his thought process skid to a halt. _'Why did I say that? I barely know this woman at all.'_ Which was entirely true since, not counting the time she had been unconscious, he had only known her for a little over two hours. For the majority of that time she had been jumping between what she wanted to be, a confident, strong-minded business woman, and what years of psychological seclusion had made her into, a socially terrified, timid shell. He didn't know what the real her was but he did know what he preferred: The one that was brilliant enough to produce him the equipment he needed to get back at Frieza. If her defiance came with that then so be, as long as she wasn't breaking his things.

He was drawn out of his thoughts when he heard he take in a deep breath. Closing her teary eyes, she let the breath out and opened her eyes again. Vegeta had to admit, the change from teary fear to sparkling confidence was quite compelling.

Both of them looked down to Bulma's hands as she brought them up about 2 inches from his chest. Much like their first meeting, Bulma shakily placed her hands on Vegeta's chest plate. Intently watching as Bulma's hands carefully moved further down, Vegeta could tell that she was examining the armor itself as a distraction, perhaps wondering what it was made of or if she could improve it. All he could think of, as her fingers spanned open, was why he hadn't taken his armor off before starting this._ 'What would those delicate fingers feel like moving across my body suit, or better yet, my bare chest?'_

Despite her initial fears, Bulma it seemed had switched entirely into scientist mode as she hooked her fingers underneath the bottom of the chest plate to determine the thickness of the armor. Vegeta clenched his fists against the wall as the sensation of her knuckles lightly running along his abs sent a shiver straight to his spine. It took everything in him at that moment not to remove his hands from the wall and take part in his own '_study'_.

A sharp knock at the door brought Vegeta out of his sensual train of thought and he used the distraction to step back. _'What is wrong with me? I know she's gorgeous but I shouldn't react like that from a mere touch._' Looking back up to her he could see that Bulma was confused, so deep in her thoughts as she that she hadn't even heard the knock.

"That would be Kakarot at the door," Vegeta supplied for her as he moved to open the door and take the blueprints, noting that Kakarot must have left Chichi in his room before coming over. Probably for the best as he was sure either she or Bulma would try to rearrange the sleeping arrangements. Kakarot nodded before returning the way he came and Vegeta turned back to Bulma who still looked a little dumbfounded.

"Oh, I didn't even hear it."

Smirking Vegeta moved over to face her again. "Yes, it seems that you enjoyed feeling me up so much that the rest of the world vanished, eh?"

"EH? No, no I was just examining your armor."

"Of course you were. I'm going to change and get in the shower. Here," he handed her the blueprints, "get to work on that. Have them done before you go to sleep." When she continued to stand there confused and embarrassed by the previous situation, he leaned in closer to whisper in her ear. "Don't worry. We'll continue our '_examinations_' later."

Pulling back, Vegeta couldn't help the feeling of smug satisfaction at seeing the small blush grace Bulma's face, unmistakable even through the fear his closeness had brought. Giving her one last parting smirk, he made his way to the bathroom leaving his genius alone to her work.

* * *

A/N: Long chapter is long. _ Anyway I hope you enjoyed reading it. Please feel free to review, I love getting feedback or just knowing if you're liking the story. Thanks to everyone who has already reviewed, I appreciate your time so much.


	12. Overwhelming

Here we go, I hope you enjoy this chapter. :) Feel free to review. I said this before but since I've gotten many requests I have opened anonymous reviews again so if you wanted to review before but couldn't I'd love to hear from you as well.

* * *

Bulma was still frozen against the wall for several seconds after Vegeta left the room. Finally, the sound of the shower starting pulled her out of her stupor. Blinking, she looked down at the crumpled blueprints in her hands before throwing them to the ground in a huff.

"You… you jerk!" She yelled at the closed door, uncaring whether or not the occupant inside heard him. "Monster! Bastard!" Remembering his comment about her studying his armor, she added, "Pervert." She glared at the door for a few more seconds before grabbing the blueprints off the ground and making her way over to the sofa. Sitting down, she pulled the coffee table close and spread out the paper so she could see what she was working with. "Oh, wow! He wasn't kidding about the size of his place."

While Vegeta had described the living arrangements before Bulma didn't think it was anything like the scale she was seeing with these plans. Starting from a private access door, the entire floor took up the length of two side-by-side football fields. One half was split up between a huge training area and a common area. Bulma made a mental note that there didn't seem to be any windows on this side of the complex and wondered what kind of lighting the room had or if they actually used it outside of training. Looking to the other side of the plans she saw that it was split up between two well sized, for lack of a better term, apartments. Each apartment had a generous living area and two large bedrooms with on-suite bathrooms. Unlike the training/common side, these rooms had large windows so it was likely that there was plenty of natural light making her wonder why the private areas had more access to the outside than the common areas. In fact, the only room in the apartments without windows was in what she assumed was Vegeta's room. It was marked 'Study' and, while not as large as the bedrooms, was spacious enough for her to convert into a working lab.

Opening her bag, she pulled out some white chalk pencils ready to jot down some specifications for what changes needed to be made. Luckily she was a genius and could instantly adjust plans to whatever specifications were given to her. "Let's see, some metal counters," she left what type of metal out knowing that Vegeta could fill in the blanks with what was available, "and a private desk for writing." After a few more quick notes, she smiled sadly at the perfect replica of her lab back home. "And since the study shares a wall with Kakarot's living room, we can add a door so Chichi will be able to help without going all the way through Vegeta's side." She grinned as she realized how perfect this was all working out until a nagging thought pushed its way in. "Although I won't be able to work on anything big in there. It'll be fine for making the scouter and the suppressor but if he wants training equipment and ships I'll need a larger space."

Looking back to the common area made her realize that none of these rooms had a kitchen area or a laundry room for that matter. "Probably used to room service taking care of everything. That'll be a problem though since we can't have anyone accidently stumbling in and seeing what's going on. Luckily we brought some appliance capsules with us." She drew a line splitting up the common area so that one third of it was a kitchen/laundry room worthy of the best housewife, which Chichi basically was with the exception of the wife part, and two thirds a larger working area that would be able to house larger projects.

"There, all done!" Looking behind her, she noted that the water was still running in the bathroom. "Wow, either he's into longer showers or," she looked at a wall clock confirming her suspicions, "I finished all of the plans in five minutes. Well, I basically just threw what we had back home everywhere so of course it didn't take me that long."

As proud of her skills as she was there was a downside to getting finished so fast: She had nothing to do. Well that wasn't entirely true since she had a computer that she converted to work with the alien ship's power source with thousands of books, tv shows, and movies uploaded to it but she truly doubted that she'd be able to get into anything before Vegeta came out of the bathroom and she needed to discuss the changes she'd made with him.

That left the room itself. Looking around, she saw that instead of installing something to make the room more 'homey' that the designs opted to just leave the walls metal. Oddly enough though it didn't sound like she was in a metal room and upon closer inspection she found that the walls seemed to be coated with some kind of resin. "Could it be… for sound proofing?" Clapping her hands a few times she was shocked that, no matter the distance, there was no echo. "That's incredible!" Running over to the blueprints, she made a note that both labs should be coated with the same resin so that her work wouldn't disrupt anyone else.

Leaning back, Bulma rubbed her hands along the sofa glad that the furnishings in the room were more luxurious than the walls. Suddenly curious, she kicked off her shoes and nearly died when she felt how plush the black carpet was. Curling her toes once more, she put her shoes back on and decided to continue her investigation.

Aside from the few function pieces like the couch and the bed, there didn't seem to be anything used for entertainment in the room. "He must not spend a lot of time in here or perhaps there's some kind of space tv or space phone hidden away," she added as she noticed a panel by the door.

Looking around again she brought a finger to her lips as she thought of something else. "Come to think of it, there are not too many personal items in here at all. Except…," she turned to look at the side table next to where Vegeta had pressed her to the wall. Still on the table, face down, was the picture frame that she'd nearly thrown at him in her fit of rage earlier.

There wasn't anything odd to consider about it under normal circumstances. People kept pictures all the time but this situation was different. The room looked barely lived in, you couldn't even tell whether the occupant was male or female, and yet there was one frame sitting by itself on a table. Its placement was as, or perhaps even more, important as the frame's existence itself. If the picture was just a constant piece in the room, wouldn't it be fixed to a wall? After all, even the best of ships are bound to experience some turbulence so having an important item that could easily fall over and break would be impractical… unless it was not meant to stay on the ship. Was it possible for a prince who personified himself as being cold and indifferent to have such an attachment to a single object that he felt the need to bring it with him wherever he goes?

The temptation to look at it was too much to resist.

She was inches away from picking up the frame when the bathroom door opened. "Are you having trouble with the blueprints or are you just interesting in wasting time?"

Bulma first thought was to act all innocent while continuing to inch closer until she could grab the picture but that plan was thrown out the window when she turned to look at Vegeta… and realized that he was completely naked; just strutting out of the bathroom water dripping off every surface of his body with little care outside of getting his hair dry.

"What are you doing? Use a towel, for crying out loud!" She yelled as she covered her eyes and spun so she couldn't see him.

"I am using a towel, Woman," Bulma couldn't tell if he was joking or if he honestly didn't understand what she meant.

"Not your hair, I mean on your body!" And what a body it was! She may have only examined the body through text books or movies but even she could tell that Vegeta had a body that would make a Hollywood movie star green with envy. He may be short by Saiyan standards but she was sure that he'd be considered a perfect man, at least look wise, to most women on Earth.

"The carpet won't get ruined from a few droplets of water. The fibers were developed to mimic the fur of…"

"I don't care about the carpet! In case you haven't noticed, you're completely naked. Don't you have any decency?"

If she wasn't hiding her face, she would have whipped around and glared at him for the chuckle he had at the situation. "First off, this is my room so I don't see why I should cover myself. And second, Saiyans are unconcerned with notions of modesty. It works against our natural fighting instincts to worry about trivial matters like covering out bodies since it would counterproductive during a fight. We can't just stop fighting because our genitals get exposed since it would give our opponent an advantage on us."

"I don't care if you normally attend tournaments or formal galas completely in the nude; please put some clothes on while you're around me." Vegeta chuckled and Bulma stiffened when she heard his footsteps getting closer thinking that he was going to tease her further. However she relaxed slightly as they stopped a few feet from her before moving away again. Taking a chance to peek, she saw him move into the closet area with the picture frame in hand. "Hey, wait!"

"Change your mind about me getting dressed, did you?" He asked suggestively.

Bulma blushed madly and shook her head vigorously even though he couldn't see her, "NO! I was just wondering where that frame went." She fanned her cheeks hoping that it would make her blush less noticeable. 'I swear, every time I'm near this man I get in a situation where I'm utterly mortified.'

There was a pause, followed by the sound of a dresser opening and clothing being moved around before he spoke again. "I clearly told you that my things are none of your business."

"What's the big deal? Is it something embarrassing?" She teased but jumped as Vegeta came back out of the closet again. She moved to cover her eyes but noticed that he'd, thankfully, taken the time to put on a loose pair of pants. Crossing her arms over her chest, she continued her 'interrogation'. "Is it a picture of you as a baby?"

"As if I'd have anything as pointless as that in my room?" He said with a huff, rolling his eyes before moving over to some kind of console on the wall.

Undeterred by Vegeta's attitude, Bulma pressed on determined to get answers. "Is it your Momma?"

Vegeta gave her an annoyed look, "Are you an idiot?"

Bulma frowned and watched Vegeta worked for a bit more before another suggestion came to her. "Is it a girlfriend, perhaps?"

"Look, I get enough of that 'friend' crap with Kakarot, I don't need it from you too."

That comment made her raise an eyebrow. "I'm not hearing a no."

"I don't even know what a 'girlfriend' is."

"It's a significant other that you see exclusively."

"Exclusively?"

"Yeah, you know, you only spend time with her and no other women."

"I've never been with any women more than once." He smirked before adding, "Though I'm sure several of them would have been overjoyed if I did give them a second chance but outside of sex or combat I don't deal with women very often. In fact, you're going to be first intimate relationship I've ever had and that's out of necessity, not want." With that said he moved back to the console, avidly focusing on the screen.

Bulma tapped a finger against her lips as she took in what he was saying. _'He doesn't seem to think much of the women he's been with but then he also doesn't consider Kakarot to be his friend. Perhaps it's just a matter of culture clash and Saiyan terminology isn't the same as ours.'_ She thought about it for a bit longer both pushing forward. "But it is a picture of a woman, isn't it?"

Seemingly tired of the conversation, Vegeta finished whatever he was doing at the console and gave her an irritated look. "This," he gestured at the air around her as if to signify that he was talking about the situation more than her, "is exactly why I took the picture out of your sight, because you want to waste time asking asinine questions instead of working."

It was Bulma's turn to smirk. "I already finished making changes to the blueprints while you were in the shower." Vegeta looked at her incredulously before moving towards the coffee table and examining the paper. "You'll have to add what kinds of metal you guys have access to so they'll know what supplies need to be used but other than that everything should be there. I also added a door in the new lab so Chichi can come help without having to go all the way through your living. Oh, and I split up the common area into a larger lab for bigger projects and a kitchen/laundry room so that Chichi can take over any chores that you'd normally assign servants to do. Can't have unwanted eyes accidently seeing what we're working on." She added with her brightest smile at Vegeta's look of disbelief.

"How… how long was I in the shower?" Vegeta looked over at a clock on the wall before moving his eyes back to the blueprints as if trying to find a flaw he could pick on.

She shrugged, knowing that he'd find nothing since she knew her additions worked perfectly. "Not long." She pointed to the chalk. "So, supplies?"

As Vegeta made the necessary additions, Bulma heard a knock at the door. Standing up, Vegeta opened the door to reveal a Saiyan pushing a cart of food. "Here," he handed the soldier the blueprints, "take those to the communications deck and have them sent to the palace."

"Yes, Prince Vegeta," the soldier saluted before taking off.

Bulma eyed the food just now realizing that she hadn't eaten all day. "Wow, did they fix food that quickly?"

"Of course," Vegeta stated before looking over the food as if deciding what he wanted to eat first. His thoughts were cut short as the sound of Bulma's stomach grumbling interrupted the quiet. Turning away from the Vegeta to raise an eyebrow at Bulma's once again mortified face. "Hmm, perhaps I better order some more since it seems like you'll be eating a lot."

Embarrassment temporarily forgotten, Bulma glared at him for his rude comment. "You're such a jerk!" She yelled before plopping down on the couch.

She had expected him to laugh or ignore her and dig in but she heard him moving towards her she looked up realized just how close he was as he placed his hand on the arm of the couch. "Yes yes, I heard you before." At her confused look, he continued getting noticeably closer with each word, "Jerk. Monster. Bastard. Pervert."

Before she knew it she was laying flat on her back with him directly over her, one hand placed next to her head and the other gripping the top of the couch. "Wha… what are you doing?"

"I said that we'd continue with examinations and since you already finished with the blueprints I thought that we should do that now."

Bulma was about to push him back for making fun of her before but froze when she realized that she wouldn't be pushing against his armor this time but his bare chest. She had to find another out of this situation. "Aren't you going to eat first?"

Vegeta placed his knee against the couch cushion this time. "It's more important to work with your phobia enough each day so that you'll be able to act properly when the time comes. Earlier your efforts were cut short so we should finish before it gets too late."

"But the food will get cold! You don't want cold food, do you?"

Vegeta seemed to take joy in her desperate attempts to get out of their 'practice'. "The food won't get cold. The trays are specially designed to keep the food fresh and warm as long as the lid covers them."

"Wow, really? That's amazing." She turned to look over at the trays, already thinking of what the technology could be used for. "I need to study that. Before we couldn't store perishable foods in capsules but if I look into those trays I might be able to figure out how to store food to send to people in famines or even living plants so that they can start new ecosystems or…," she was jolted out of her comments by Vegeta's right hand gently holding her jaw.

"Focus, Woman," he said with a small chuckle as he moved her head to face him. "You can work on your theories later. Right now the only thing that should be on your mind is how to properly react to me."

Having said that, Vegeta moved so that he was basically straddling her. The way his body was positioned over hers was like a cage and the feeling of being trapped once again filled her. "What are you doing, n-no, get away."

"Calm down, Woman. Look, our bodies aren't nearly as close as they were earlier and I'm not going to touch you aside from what little I'm doing now. Just do what you were doing before."

"But you're not wearing armor so," she clenched her eyes shut and shook her head as much as his loose grip would allow, "so I have nothing to distract myself with."

"You didn't need the distraction earlier, when we first met."

"I was just imitating my Mom's flirty way of talking, to get you to lower your guard."

"Well then just do that."

Bulma opened her eyes to look at him, confused by what exactly he meant. "Do what?"

Once again, he gave her a dark look and smirked at her, leaning down nearly close enough to touch noses together. "Flirt with me. Make me drop my guard."

'_There it is again, that foreign feeling that jumps through my body and makes my heart skip a beat. Why is this happening?' _She honestly never felt this way before this excursion happened so all she could do was compare it to what feelings she did know deciding that it was a mix of panic and embarrassment. '_Why won't it go away? I'm stronger than this but this panic is too overwhelming, I can't think straight.'_

Vegeta cocked his head to the side, obviously amused with her flushed demeanor. "Well, I'm waiting. What would your Mother do if she was in your place?"

"I-I," Bulma swallowed and bit her lip trying her best to think of exactly what her mother would do in this situation. "If my Mother was in this situation… she'd say something like…," she placed the back of her hand dramatically on her forehead and sighed, "'Oh Mr. Vegeta, you're so bold. Why, if I wasn't a married woman…"

There was a moment of silence before Vegeta chuckled again. "Your mother sounds terrifying."

Bulma frowned and looked to the side, realizing that even something as simple as his laughter sent that heart skipping panic through her. "She wasn't terrifying, she was just… friendly, and a bit of a ditz."

"Well in any case, try to mimic her actions, not her words. Remember how you played with your hair, lowered your gaze and batted your eyes, stuff like that. The lip biting thing too, that works quite well."

"Ah, that's just a bad habit of mine. Mom always got onto me saying that I was going to ruin my lips biting them so much." Looking back to Vegeta, she noticed that his eyes were focused on her mouth, which wasn't usual since it was the topic of their current conversation. However she froze when his fingers followed suit and lightly traced her lips leaving a tingling feeling in their wake.

"I can see what she means. You wouldn't want to crack them. Luckily there doesn't seem to be any damage so I don't think it's too much of a problem."

"Yeah," Bulma answered back quietly watching as Vegeta started at her lips a few moments longer before moving her eyes back to hers.

"I've changed my mind," he announced.

"Changed…?"

"Yes, instead of trying to have you flirt with me, since you seem to be having trouble concentrating on that task, we're going to try kissing again."

"What? Why?"

"Because I've seen from before that you can pretend to flirt but when I kissed you to distract those idiots you just froze. Given your secluded background I doubt that you've kissed much before then."

"Never. I mean, I've seen it in movies and on tv and I've seen my parents share a peck every now and again, but personally I've never been in a situation where I'd have to. But I, I'm not ready to…," she struggled, surprised that Vegeta's hand moved away from her face.

"You don't have to do anything. Just close your eyes and let me do the work. If you get the hang of it you can try to mimic my actions and we'll move on from there."

She wanted to shake her head in protest and push him away but decided that it was pointless to try. _'Besides what's needed to make this plan work he's not going to do anything to me. I have to trust him.'_

Closing her eyes tight, she nodded. As much as the thought of kissing him terrified her, the anticipation of waiting for him to it was excruciating. Finally after several tense moments, she felt the gentle touch of his lips against hers. It wasn't anything like the hard press in the alley, but rather more like a whisper, a tease that sent her heart rate soaring. Her body stiffened as the motion caused not only the heart-skipping panic from before but also made her stomach both tighten and flutter.

She didn't want to end up fainting so she tried to concentrate on the matter from a scientific standpoint like she had earlier. _'What is going on? Is the panic making me sick? It doesn't feel like I'm going to throw up so I'm just nervous? Yes, that's the closest emotion I can relate this feeling too so that must be it.' _Something about his actions caused these weird feelings to course through her body. _'Is this common? Does it always feel like this when you let someone close to you?' _

She would have continued to contemplate whether these feelings were common place or only because of her fears when a hand skimming her waist brought her out of her science based distraction.

Her eyes popped open ready to protest him touching her when he said he wouldn't but she realized that it wasn't Vegeta's lips covering her mouth but a hand. Above her was the eerily recognizable sight of the ceiling of her Father's lab. The skylight, which just minutes ago she had looked up at to observe the storm, was shattered and rain showered down on her ruining the paperwork on the desk she was pinned on top of and causing her to shiver from the cold. Flashing red lights cast spinning shadows across the room accompanied by the piercing wail of the attached alarm.

"Damn it." A voice reached her ears. "I didn't even notice that stupid skylight. Ah, the pain." The stranger's hand circled around her waist and pulled her up slightly to look at her face. She couldn't make out his face because of his ski mask but he seemed to be rather rough, though that might have just been from all the cuts he'd gotten when he'd fallen through the glass and onto her desk. He winced and covered he eye which, due to being exposed by his mask, had gotten a gash across it. "I was told this lab was fully automated, I didn't know a person would be here. What do I do?"

Moving his hand from his eye, he looked at her for a moment until a door opened and the lab's security droids entered. The man panicked fell on top of her, holding her tight against him. Seeming to notice that the droids would not fire as long as she was in the way he pull her torso up, blocking himself from any harm as he thought about what to do. From her close position she could see him pull out a knife from his back pocket and move it behind her out of her sight.

"I'm sorry, I can't afford to have witnesses. I don't have any other choice."

'_No no no no no,'_ she shook her head and suddenly regained her ability to move. Moving her hand across the desk, she grabbed the first object she could hold onto ignoring the pain as it cut into her own hand and lashed out. "NO! DON'T TOUCH ME!" She said striking the man in the face with the blood stained glass. Yelling out in pain, he jumped back allowing her to roll off the desk and land painfully on the cement floor.

Only there wasn't any pain. Opening eyes she didn't remember closing, she noticed that the ground wasn't cold, wet cement but lush, black carpet. She was beyond confused at the moment as she panted heavily trying to catch her breath. _'What's going on? Why am I dry and warm and why is it so quiet?'_ Taking in a few more strangled breath, her mind cleared enough to think reasonably. _'I'm on the Saiyan's ship, not back on Earth in the lab. Not to mention that even if I was on Earth, we haven't had a skylight in the roof since I was 16 after… after that incident with the thief.'_

Suddenly she realized that she'd just had a painfully realistic flashback. But it had all felt so real: The man's hand skimming her waist, the freezing cold rain, the blaring sirens, and the contact she'd made with the man's face. But here she was on the floor of Vegeta's room, safe and sound in peace and quiet.

'_Oh no, if I'm on the floor then,_' she looked over her shoulder through her disheveled hair to confirm that Vegeta was watching her with wide eyes, more confused than she had ever seen him. Sitting back on the balls of his feet, he had the back of his hand pressed to his cheek making her realize that she had lashed out at him before rolling off the couch, though he was probably holding it more out of surprise than trying to ease any pain she could have possibly inflicted.

Taking advantage of his confusion, she pushed herself up off the floor and ran to the bathroom, ignoring him as he broke out of his stupor long enough to call after her. She didn't want to be yelled at or mocked for her fears any more today, she just wanted a moment to relax and forget what had happened.

She barely took enough time to strip her clothes off before jumping into the shower. Not even a second after both of her feet touched the floor freezing water began to fall from the ceiling. Looking up, she saw that entire ceiling of the shower was basically one giant shower head made to mimic a rainstorm. If she hadn't just had that very vivid nightmare about a traumatic experience involving freezing rain she might have enjoyed it but since she had she only wanted it to stop.

Frantically looking and feeling around on the walls for some kind of control, she tried her best to ignore how each drop stung her body. All the while, her thoughts were running rampant as the day's activities finally caught up to her: Being chased by soldiers that worked for Frieza. Being forced into a deal to avoid being caught. Her first kiss with a man who didn't feel anything for her. Being leered at by more people than she could remember seeing. Her separation from Chichi. This unexplainable sense of panic and nervousness Vegeta seemed to cause in her. The nightmare of her past. The mortification of knowing that Vegeta surely thought even less of her because of her overreaction. He'd surely mock her for that.

"And why wouldn't he mock me?" She asked aloud as her hands fell limply to her sides, giving up on her attempts to stop the cold shower. "I made fun of him for bragging that he was skilled at something he wasn't but then I just turned around and did the same. He may know very little about science but what do I know about love or lust or romance? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The way I am I can't seduce someone, I can't enjoy intimate company, I can't fall in love. I can't do anything.

She couldn't hold back the tears anymore and instead sank to the ground, her loud sobs shaking her body as she curled up as tightly as she could as she tried to ignore the overwhelming onslaught of self doubt that pelted her body like the cold rain.


	13. Damage Control

A/N: Sorry for the late chapter. It was my 'last' semester in college (I technically need one more summer class that I'm in now) and while I've been chipping away at this chapter over the course of the past few months it was a hard write and I was busy. In any case, here it is! I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

'_What the hell just happened?'_

That was the only thing Vegeta could focus on as he stared at the woman on ground. One moment he was kissing her and the next she lunged out and slapped him before rolling off the couch and onto the floor. Normally he would have been angry and mocked her for her inability to live up to her claims once again but his mind couldn't connect on any particular feeling other than shock. He couldn't even work up enough sense to move his hand away from where she'd struck him, as harmless as the hit had been.

While he was still trying to how to react to what had happened, the woman finally moved. Turning just her head, she looked at him through the cascade of hair and he was struck speechless. It wasn't a look of anger or terror but rather one of recognition; as if she had just woken up from a nightmare and realized that she wasn't actually in danger. It wasn't until Bulma finally jumped up from her spot that he finally found his voice but she had escaped to the bathroom before he'd managed to utter more than a single syllable. As the sound of running water reached his ears he looked back to the couch he was still crouched on and tried to figure out what had gone wrong.

"Her friend had mentioned that she had been attacked before," Vegeta said aloud, as if it would make the situation clearer, "perhaps my actions had triggered some memory." He shook his head, angry with himself at that comment. "Of course my actions triggered something, that's not up for debate here. But what happened? What action triggered that reaction?" Rubbing his temples, he took a breath before starting his thought process again. "We've kissed before so that can't be it. In that case it must have been when I touched her side since that's when she had first reacted."

Of course it'd be impossible to know exactly what had happened without talking either to her or her friend about it but it was preferable to analyze her reaction, since the fault would rely mainly in her, than to acknowledge the blow to his ego he'd just received. He'd never had this much trouble with any woman he'd been involved with before. Even the ones that were initially shy or wary became welcoming when they realized how good he could make them feel. He may have not actually felt anything towards them, hell he was for the most part completely disconnected from the act outside of making sure each action would result in him getting fulfilled in the end. Needless to say, today was a first for Vegeta in more ways than he'd ever thought possible.

Oh sure, it'd be easy to write off the situation as him not trying to actually seduce her but the problem was… that he _had_ been trying. What's worse was that he had completely lost himself to the feeling.

Everything had been going perfectly: He'd given her some causally seductive glances, she had been unsure but her body was definitely showing some minute signs of arousal so he had decided to change his tactics from practice to actual seduction. After all, if they were actually intimate there wouldn't be a need for practice.

She had been surprised at his suggestion of kissing but her increased heart rate and soft panting belied that she was more interested than she let on. He had barely skimmed her lips with his own but the effect was immediately obvious. Adrenaline rushed through her body changing her scent. It had been such a minor change, much less than he usually noticed from the women he coupled with, that at first he couldn't tell if she actually was aroused or just terrified. However after examining her flushed cheeks he decided to push forward with his plans, pushing the subtle scent change to being involved with human biology and nothing more.

He didn't think he had gone too far, she may not have returned the kiss but she didn't push him away either. While his first thought should have been that she didn't react better to this kiss than the first one, at the time, he found himself focusing more on how soft her lips felt against his. It was odd; most races he'd seen were roughened from years of harsh elements or battle. He wondered if all of her was as soft. She certainly looked soft. All the previous encounters they'd had he had worn gloves so he never actually got to feel how soft her hair and skin were.

Despite his earlier proclamation that he wouldn't touch her, he shifted his weight onto one arm so that he could move his hand to brush her arm. Luck would have it that he missed her arm and instead found himself brushing along her hip and up towards the side of her stomach. It was such a small amount of skin but it was softer than he possibly imagined.

"Damn it," he cursed as he rubbed his palms together in attempts to rid himself of the feeling, "how could I have gotten so much enjoyment out of such an innocent touch? How far would I have gone if she hadn't reacted so violently?" It was embarrassing to think that he, for once, had been the one overwhelmed by lust and not the woman. Luckily the only one here that knew of his shame was too distraught to realize his lack of control.

Through the sound of the shower, which in hindsight he realized he'd left at the coldest and hardest setting to clean himself of Yapisha's climate, he could hear Bulma's sobs. Vegeta decided that he needed to avoid the issue with his pride and focus more on finding out what went wrong on Bulma's end of the arrangement.

Finally moving from his crouched position on the couch, Vegeta walked over to the panel. "Kakarot, bring your woman here as soon as the ship stabilizes."

* * *

It suddenly occurred to Bulma that she must have fallen asleep. Or perhaps her sobs had exhausted herself to the point that she had fallen unconscious. Her first thought was that she was freezing. She knew this not because she felt cold but rather because she could no longer feel the temperature of the shower falling from above her curled body. 'How long have I been in here?' She pushed herself off the ground slowly and looked around, once again trying to see if she could find the controls to the shower so that she could warm up a bit.

Her plans were cut short when the sound of the door opening startled her. She let out a sigh of relief and relaxed when she saw that it was Chichi who had entered and not Vegeta. Upon seeing Bulma's shaking form, Chichi frowned and made her way over to the shower. Placing her hand on the wall outside, Bulma saw a previously unseen panel light up with the shower controls. A few adjustments later Bulma sighed as the warmth enveloped her.

"Here's a towel and something warm to dress in. You finish up and come out so we can talk about what happened."

"O-okay" Bulma managed to reply through her chattering teeth. She had already planned on talking to Chichi as soon as possible so she wasn't going to fight it. She just hoped that Chichi would be able to help her find a way to make this deal work out despite this massive failure of an attempt.

* * *

30 minutes, a shaky retelling of the current events and a steaming cup of her favorite tea that Chichi had the forethought to bring with her, the two friends sat in silence until Chichi reached out and wiped a stray tear from Bulma's cheek.

"Bulma…," she started but was interrupted by a shake of Bulma's head.

"So you see, it was my fault. Yes, he touched my side but it was because of my flashback that I hit him and ran off to cry in the shower." The last thing she thought she'd hear was the sound of Chichi holding back a laugh. "Why…?"

"Sorry, it's just… when I came in here I was wondering what that mark on Vegeta's face was. I'm glad to hear that it was from a well-deserved slap."

Bulma stared in disbelief for a few more seconds until she too let out a small chuckle. "If you think that was funny, you should have seen his face. It was like a deer caught in the headlights. I didn't think his eyes could get that wide."

They both laughed a bit harder at that. Finally Chichi reached out and hugged Bulma. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you that day and I'm sorry I can't do anything to make you the memories go away." Bulma returned the hug fully accepting the comfort Chichi was giving her. "But, you still shouldn't let him get away with it."

Bulma pulled back and gave Chichi a questioning look. "What do you mean?"

"You're the one that needs to call the shots regarding your 'practice' sessions. It may go slower than he wants but it won't go anywhere if he forces you back into those painful memories."

Nodding, Bulma thought about how to approach the situation. "I see what you're saying but, what should I suggest?"

"I don't know, try doing something simple. You know, talking, sitting next to each other, holding hands."

"We're not dating, Chichi."

"No, but you're going to have to get used to each other. Try brainstorming and getting his opinion on some of your ideas for inventions. Oh, also think about some movies or tv shows you've seen before. Maybe you'll get an idea of something low contact that you'll be able to tolerate."

Seeing Bulma in thought, Chichi touched her gently on the shoulder to get her attention. "I'm going to head back to Goku's room and get some things sorted out before bed. Try to get some rest, ok."

"Bye, Chichi." As the door closed Bulma reached over to her bag and pulled out her laptop. "Alright, Bulma, let's see what strategy your genius can come up with."

* * *

Vegeta held himself together quite well all the way to the information deck as he checked to see if the remodeling project was going according to the plans he had sent. However he barely made it out the door before the rage building inside resulted in him angrily punching the air that previously held Kakarot's face.

"Whoa, Vegeta, I know it's been a long day but I'd like to not spend the rest of the trip in the rejuvenation tank if that's alright," Kakarot joked before dodging another hit with a yelp.

"Stop jumping around and take a hit like a true Saiyan, Kakarot," Vegeta growled out before continuing his onslaught. If it weren't for the fact that it was getting late and he'd already showered he would have gone to the training area to properly vent his anger.

He really needed to get his mind off how horrible this day had been. Vegeta was used to getting everything the way he wanted, not only because he was a prince but also because he was strong, determined, and smart enough to work most situations in work in his favor. Not today though, oh no.

First off, in attempts to ridicule Zarbon for his amazement regarding the missing human scientist he had gotten himself tied up in a boast with a short term deadline. Then he was forced to choose a concubine as payment for a job Frieza didn't feel like paying for.

That had been enough to put him in a bad mood but it was made worse by meeting Bulma Briefs the very cause of his current tension and irritation. He had figured that anyone in her situation would be eager to take up his offer but not her. It seemed her wit was on par with his own: not only did she figure out the real reason he wanted her was to get himself out of the hole his boasting had dug but she had also turned the situation in her favor, forcing him to give more into the deal than he'd original intended.

Not to mention that he shortly after found out that she might not be able to keep up with her part of the bargain, given her tendency to freeze up and faint in even the chastest of intimate situations. He was sure he could eventually find a way around that problem since they would only have to intimate for the short time Frieza was visiting but upon seeing her without that damned cloak his plans drastically changed.

No longer content with acting intimate, he wanted to actually be intimate. However despite his usual efforts, ones that he had always been sure he was proficient at, he had lost to Bulma again. Not that she turned him down; oh no, that wasn't the case at all. No, it wasn't that she didn't _desire_ him and he was sure that if it hadn't been for this past trauma that he would have been able to coax her into his line of thinking. He would find a way around this problem; it was for the good of their plan, after all.

"Vegeta," a new voice rang clearly through the air interrupting Vegeta's assault on Kakarot, "is there any particular reason you're sparring in the hallway?"

"Trust me, Father, I don't need any commentary from you right now," Vegeta said sharply before pulling his arms to his sides, fist clenched just like the rest of his body. He noticed his Father's eyes scan his body before opening his mouth to say something. And Vegeta could place money on what his Father was going to say, the conversation was getting so ridiculously predictable. "Don't even start with that inane dribble again, I don't want to hear about that either."

"Well you're going to hear about it anyway!" King Vegeta barked out, his voice echoing down the empty hallway. Kakarot nervously shifted but Vegeta just tensed even more than before, glaring at his Father as he clenched and unclenched his fists. "I know today has been awful for you. I know that you hate dealing with Frieza. I know that we lost several men on a pointless mission that we didn't get paid for. But I also know that you're not helping your condition any by bottling up your frustration."

"I don't have a condition!" Vegeta growled out. "I don't care what the damn doctor said. He's just a senile old man that needs to be replaced."

"Then go to another doctor if you think you'll get a different diagnosis."

"I don't need to get another diagnosis! There's nothing wrong with me."

"Damn it, Vegeta, look at you! You constantly push yourself to the breaking point. If you don't take some time off the stress is going to kill you."

"I take time off!" Vegeta countered.

"Only because I make you and even then you're just not training as much. And now you've made it worse by this invention claim of yours. Might as well have told Frieza to ridicule you right then and saved us all a month."

"Believe it or not but I was completely serious about that. I've already come up with plans to re-arrange my study into a makeshift lab and have started considering way to improve those lame inventions that Frieza and Zarbon were gushing over."

King Vegeta sighed and shook his head, obviously unbelieving of his son's claims. "I had hoped that you'd be more willing to admit to your mistake now that we were in private but I see that you're planning to lie even now."

"I'm not lying, I don't have a stress problem, and I'm done with this conversation." Vegeta turned on his heel and started back towards his room only to once again be stopped by his Father's voice.

"Is it too much for me to hope that you'll actually indulge a bit with this concubine and relax a little?"

"Father, Seriously? Are we discussing my sex life again? I guess you're just the type to think that all problems can be solved by hopping into bed with any available woman."

The King closed his eyes, knowing that his next comment wasn't going to help the situation any. "Vegeta, you and both know that I haven't been to bed with any woman since your Mother died."

The loud sound of metal crunching filled the air and Vegeta slammed his fist into the wall, visibly shaking now with repressed anger. "Don't talk about her. Don't ever talk about her," he said with a calm that defied his current mood before stalking down the hallway, ignoring Kakarot's attempts walk with him. He didn't want to deal with anymore pointless conversations tonight. He was exhausted and had a headache that refused to go away. He just wanted to eat and then go to bed. Hopefully the Woman would already be asleep so he wouldn't have to deal with her.

Unfortunately for him, she was still quite awake. He noticed that she had already eaten though she had left quite a bit on her plate. _'Do humans not eat much or was she just not that hungry after her little episode?'_ Vegeta wondered before shaking his head and grabbing his own food. He half expected her to either scream out when she saw him or to try and talk about something as pointless as everyone else tonight wanted to but she didn't even stir. Her eyes were glued on some type of portable viewer with a white cord that connected to her ears so it seemed that she hadn't even noticed him enter the room. _'Good. That means that I can avoid any more trouble tonight.'_

He made quick work of his meal and set the trays and the cart outside for the workers to clean up. As he passed the sofa on his way to the bed, he couldn't help but look at what the woman was watching only to stop dead in his tracks at the sight.

It was some kind of recording of two humans having sex, or about to that is as their clothes were still on, but it was obvious where the situation would lead. _'Do humans find entertainment in watching others copulate?'_ He was shocked that this woman was so easily watching something so lewd when she acted as if she didn't have a clue how to react to intimate situations before. '_Did she trick me? Is she actually used to this kind of thing?'_

He was brought out of his thoughts by a soft, but frustrated, sigh. Bulma turned the device off and removed the earpieces before viciously scrubbing her face. It was only then that he noticed the bright red blush covering her face. And despite his early plans to go to bed without confronting her, he couldn't resist teasing.

"You should know that scrubbing your face isn't going to remove the stain from your cheeks, Woman." At her jump, he smirked thoroughly enjoying her scramble to catch her viewer before it fell to the ground. "What kind of lewd culture do you come from where you watch others having sex for enjoyment, Woman?"

"It was just a romance movie! There's not even a sex scene in that one."

Vegeta raised a brow at that. "In that one? Meaning that there are recordings with 'sex scenes' in them?"

"Well, yeah, I guess. I mean, in movies it's usually short and not as showy but there are porn movies too where it's just people having sex with little or no plot." She blushed and looked up at his again. "Not that I have any of those things, mind you!"

'Damn that blush,' Vegeta thought enjoying the Woman's frustration, 'I'd like to see that up close. No, it's too soon for another attempt. Oh well, maybe tomorrow.'

Vegeta turned and started to walk away when Bulma called out to him. "W-wait! Vegeta before you go to bed, I-I wanted to talk to you."

Sighing, Vegeta turned back with a bored look. He really just wanted to fall into bed and, hopefully, fall asleep quickly. "Woman, your friend already explained about your trauma earlier today the first time you fainted. We don't need to go into the details again. While I will concede to the fact that I moved too fast, you do need to brace yourself and find a way to make this deal work."

"I-I know. That's what I was doing just now."

"You're not going to get any better at intimate interactions by watching other people have sex, Woman."

"I wasn't… That's not what I was doing! Look, Chichi mentioned that if we're going to get this to work I'm going to have to set some ground rules and decide what we're going to do for practice. And don't tell me that you should be able to decide what we're doing. I'm the one that needs to get used to this, not you, so we're doing it my way. And so, after watching a few scenes from romance movies I've decided on something."

"Oh?" Vegeta crossed his arms, interested in what she had come up with. "Well hurry it up, I'm tired."

With a yawn, she nodded. "Me too. I nearly nodded off a few times already but I want to do this tonight. Anyway, I want you to lie down on the couch."

Vegeta blinked. "What? Why?"

"Well, there was this scene I saw where the couple was lying down on the couch together with the woman resting on the man's chest. I thought, maybe I could handle that since I wouldn't feel closed in."

Rubbing a hand across his face, Vegeta decided not to use up what little energy he had left fighting her on this. "Whatever, let's get this over with." He moved over to the couch and started to lie down on his back.

"Wait, aren't you going to put a shirt on?" Bulma asked with panic clear in her voice.

"No, either you lay down or I go to bed."

After thinking about it for a few seconds, Bulma took a deep breath and moved over to him with a look of determination. Vegeta watched closely as she placed her stiff arms on both sides of his torso before moving her legs in between his. Her discomfort was obvious as she closed her eyes and took a few more deep breaths. He would have been more insulted that it was taking this much effort to simply touch him but given that her current position was giving him a generous view of her cleavage he couldn't complain too much.

Finally after a few minutes, she shakily lowered her arms until she came in contact with his chest. Turning her head to look towards the table, she exhaled again. "There, see this isn't so hard. You know, as long as you keep your hands to yourself this time."

"Are you questioning my restraint, Woman?"

"No I'm telling you to not touch me so this will work." Vegeta glared down at her head before closing his eyes, trying to think of anything but the feel of her soft body pressed so intimately to his. "You're really warm, you know that?" Bulma mumbled beneath him. "You must have a higher body temperature. I'll have… to…"

At her incomplete sentence, Vegeta's eyes popped open. "…Woman?" Her breathing had evened out and he craned his neck to confirm his suspicions that she had, in fact, fallen asleep.

He sighed, tiredly rubbing his face wondering how he'd gotten talked into this situation again. _'Well, practice is over then.' _He moved his hand to her shoulder but paused and instead decided to move it to her back instead. _'Let's see if your reaction is any better asleep than when it was awake.' _Yes she had said not to touch her but it was important to see if there was any chance of her recovering from this trauma of hers. Besides, what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

Placing his hand on the small of her back he made a soft, circular motion. He froze when she shifted but at her nuzzle and sigh he smirked and continued his movement moving up under the loose top she was using as a nightshirt. He wouldn't go too far but he couldn't help but compare her to his past _encounters_ with women. Vegeta let his eyes drift shut as he gently skimmed the soft skin of her back.

Before he knew it, he too drifted off into a comfortable sleep.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for any typos, I'll look through it again later and make changes. I hope you enjoyed it.


	14. Facing Fear

A/N: Finished College! Yay me. And now onto our story.

* * *

Chichi blinked away her sleeping state as a series of computer-like noises reached her. Stretching she got out of bed and made her way over to the makeshift bed Kakarot had made on the couch only to notice that he was sitting up with a scouter over his ear.

"Goku?" she prodded with the alternative name she'd come to prefer.

Upon hearing his Namekian name, Kakarot turned around to see Chichi rubbing her eyes. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

"It's fine, but what are you doing? Is your scouter malfunctioning?"

"Hmm? Ah, no, it's working fine. The problem is that I can't seem to contact Vegeta."

Chichi looked at the clock before suggesting, "Maybe he's not awake yet."

"I suppose there's always a chance, he was pretty tired yesterday, but I doubt it. Vegeta doesn't sleep very well so he's usually up before I am. I'm honestly a little surprised that he hasn't ordered me to meet up for training yet."

"Do you…," Chichi started, trying in vain to push her worry for Bulma being trapped with Vegeta away, "do you think something might be wrong?"

Kakarot sighed and placed the scouter on the couch before standing to look at her. "I'm sorry, Chichi, I didn't mean to worry you. I'm sure everything is fine. Vegeta may have decided to train alone or do some work with taking his scouter with him. Hell, he might even have the scouter turned off again. He and I don't use them often because we can sense energy so he has a bad habit of leaving his off unless he needs it. I'm going to head on over to his room to see what's going on."

"Can I go with you?" Chichi practically pleaded, "I want to check up on Bulma after what happened last night."

"Sure." Before he could reach down and grab his scouter, it went off. "Oh hey, maybe that's him." Upon picking it up though, Chichi noticed his good mood disappear with his smile, "Yes, King Vegeta? No I haven't heard from Vegeta this morning." Chichi watched with dread and Kakarot stiffened. "You don't need to worry yourself with that, I was about to go myself." Another pause before he clenched his fist and moved to open the door. "Very well, I'll see you there then," he said before disconnecting the call.

Before Chichi could ask what was wrong, she found herself up in his arms and moving down the hall at high speed. "Wh-what…?" She barely managed out.

"Turns out I'm not the only one having trouble contacting Vegeta. Now his Father is intent on going to Vegeta's room and seeing what's going on."

Chichi's face paled as she caught on to the problem. "No, if he opens the door and sees Bulma working on something or her and Vegeta arguing he's going to know something is wrong."

"Exactly." Kakarot said as they reached the corner that turned down to the royal wing of the ship and setting Chichi down before walking around to see the King stalking towards Vegeta's room.

Upon seeing Kakarot and Chichi, the King paused in his stride. "Kakarot, why did you bring that woman with you if you were planning on training with Vegeta?"

"Ah, well." Kakarot, scratched his head before shrugging, "I figured that maybe she could keep Vegeta's concubine company while we were out."

The King growled while rubbing his temple. "Kakarot, she's supposed to be catering to your needs, not the other way around. Seriously, I don't know who I'm more worried about in this situation, you or my son. Speaking of which," he continued to walk to the door.

Kakarot jumped forward in a last-ditch attempt to stop him. "Sire, we shouldn't barge in on him. You know how he is."

The King rolled his eyes. "If he doesn't want to be interrupted he shouldn't turn off his only form of being contacted."

Without further pause, the King grabbed the door and roughly opened it. However any words he had been planning on saying were ripped from him at the sight before him. Kakarot and Chichi joined his stupor as they watched Vegeta and Bulma startle from their previously peaceful sleep on the couch. Bulma seemed to want to jump away but Vegeta just grabbed her by the back of the head and pulled her towards his chest.

"What are you doing? GET OUT!" He yelled despite the obvious blush that covered his face from being caught in such a situation.

Not waiting for the King to take action, Kakarot grabbed the handle and shut the door. The silence hung heavily between the three standing in the hall before Kakarot looked over to the King.

"Um, sorry about that, your majesty."

Shaking his head in disbelief, the King turned and walked down the hall back to his chambers. "Just make sure he contacts me later."

"Of course, I'll be sure to tell him." Waiting until the King shut the door to his room, Kakarot let out a deep sigh before carefully opening the door.

"I HATE YOU! YOU LYING, EGOTISICAL BASTARD!"

The sudden onslaught of cursing made Chichi blinked in shock. "That is some impressive soundproofing."

Kakarot chuckled, "Lucky for us. If the King had heard that…," he trailed off since the end of his statement could be predicted by anyone.

"Listen to me! STOP SQUIRMING, DAMNIT!" Vegeta yelled back at Bulma.

"I'll stop squirming when you let me go!"

"NO! Stop being childish, you're not helping anything."

"You're the one not helping! I said 'don't touch' and you still did it. Why can't you keep your hands to yourself?" Bulma finally wrenched one of her hands free and slapped Vegeta across the face with all her might.

Silence descended over the room as Bulma belatedly realized that she went too far. Chichi covered her mouth hoping that Vegeta wouldn't snap and kill both of them, Bulma out of rage and her simply because she was only there because of his need for Bulma.

After what felt like hours Vegeta growled. "Kakarot. Leave."

Kakarot hesitantly nodded before shutting the door again.

"Are you crazy?" Chichi gasped out, "We can't leave Bulma in there; he'll kill her."

"No he won't."

"But…" she nearly cried out when Kakarot turned her towards him.

"Listen to me. You need to believe more in Vegeta's restraint. If he can control his rage when dealing with Frieza he can deal with Bulma without bringing her any physical harm."

"Goku, I…I just don't know how you can be so worry free about this."

"Because I know Vegeta. He may get angry that things are not going his way but he won't just quit and take the easy way out. He knows that, in the end, the more effort he puts into achieving something the better the results will be. Something tells me that it'll be the same for Bulma. I doubt Vegeta suggested that they relax on the couch so the fact that they were… in that situation tells me that she wanted to challenge herself. Vegeta may have pushed her past the point she prepared for but seeing that she reacted with anger instead of fear shows me that she's already made progress."

Chichi thought back to earlier when the King had opened the door. Bulma had pulled back from Vegeta before Vegeta pulled her back. If she had been intent on just getting away there'd be no point to stop her since it could have been seen as embarrassment. No, he didn't stop her because she was running away, he stopped her because she was about to yell at him.

"Maybe… maybe you're right."

"Only time will tell. Now, I'm starving so let's get some food."

Chichi couldn't help but laugh at Kakarot's childish change in subject. "You're so silly, my master."

* * *

The soft click of the door terrified Bulma. As she looked anywhere other than the furious look Vegeta surely had on his face, it was hard not to start hyperventilating again.

'_What is wrong with me?'_ She asked herself for the hundredth time it seemed. _'How tired was I last night to even consider lying on top of Vegeta as a good idea? And then I fell asleep on him? How embarrassing.'_ She wondered how she would have reacted to waking up the way they did if Vegeta hadn't been touching her. More than likely she would have frozen in place unable to move until Vegeta woke up.

However that hadn't been the case. Instead of freezing at the realization that she was too close to Vegeta, she had been furious to feel that he was touching her again. Her fury increased when he had pulled her closer forcing her face into his chest painfully. Not even a second after the door had been slammed shut he let her go, letting her jump up and scream all the obscenities that had been building up in her.

Only now did she realize that, if anyone else had been at the door other than Chichi and Kakarot, she would have blown their cover yelling at him. Then she had made things worse by hitting him. Again.

"Now you listen here…," Vegeta started but Bulma cut him off.

"I'm sorry, okay," she yelled out before covering her face with her hands. "Look I don't know who was at the door but I assume that the reason you grabbed me before was to stop them from hearing me yelling at you but if you hadn't been touching me I wouldn't have needed to yell."

"Don't you dare try to pin this on me, Woman. You're lucky I didn't push you off me when you fell asleep on top of me last night. You're like a child, can't stay awake more than a minute once you lay down."

Bulma blushed, indignant that he was calling her a child. "That's your fault for being so warm, it'd make anyone drowsy. In any case, you fell asleep too. What's your excuse?"

"I haven't slept in days! We were called in to purge a planet for Frieza and then immediately went to Yapisha for a payment which we didn't receive. Even if I could have gone to sleep, I can't properly rest when I know that I'll be forced to talk to that wretched lizard."

"Well then go back to bed and rest for a few more hours if you're so tired."

"I was tired, Woman. I'm fine now. Actually," he paused seeming to think about something before continuing, "I think I slept longer last night than I have in years."

"Seriously? Vegeta, that's not healthy."

"Feh, Saiyan's don't require as much sleep as you seem to think."

"But," was all Bulma could get out before Vegeta interrupted her this time.

"Why are we talking about this? My sleeping habits aren't the problem here. The problem is that your tip-toeing method isn't working."

"It's not tip-toeing, it's calculated and it would work if you'd do your part by keeping your hands off."

"So it's fine for you to crawl on top of me, pressing yourself intimately close but the second I touch you it's over the line."

"Don't say it like that!" Bulma blushed furiously at the implication of his words. "But yes, it is over the line because when I'm in control of the situation it's fine but when you touch me it's all I can do to not flashback to the man who…"

"ENOUGH!" Vegeta yelled instantly stopping Bulma's explanation. "I'm sick and tired of hearing you talk about that man," he said before grabbing Bulma's wrist.

"What are you doing?" Her only answer was being thrown onto the couch with him soon to follow. "No, stop, this won't work. I…I can't take it."

"I don't care. I'm tired of this coming between us every time I touch you. This inane fear of yours shouldn't be controlling you life to this extreme and this plan will never work unless you face it head on."

"But," Bulma protested only to be cut off again only by Vegeta's mouth this time. Her eyes clenched shut as she once again felt him run his arm along her side. The darkness behind her eyelids was drawing her back, making it hard to breathe.

Vegeta finally pulled away. "Look at me."

"I can't do this, Vegeta, I can't. It's too much." Bulma cried out, overwhelmed by the darkness.

"Bulma!"

At her name, her eyes snapped open and focused on Vegeta's. He was so close, his nose barely an inch away from hers.

"Are you looking at me, Bulma?"

"Yes," she answered. _'Obviously,'_ she silently added.

"Are you? Is that why your body is tense and your eyes are clenched?"

"That's because when you touch me…"

"Are you seeing _**me**_ when I touched you or are you seeing _**him**_? He is not here, Bulma. I'm the only one here that is able to touch you. Is all my touch worth to see him again?"

"It's not like I want to see him!" Bulma blinked letting the built up tears roll down her face.

"I know. It's because that one moment of fear has been ingrained onto your psyche. But you have to open your eyes and see what is before you, not what happened in the past. What happened, happened but there are more dangerous things in the universe than one random attacker you'll likely never see again."

"I know. I know that I should be more afraid of Frieza but," she shook her head, unable to think of more to say. At his snort, she looked back confused.

"Being afraid of Frieza is just as bad. Yes he's a million times more dangerous but you don't even know what he looks like so being in constant fear of him wouldn't help you. No, the only thing you should feel for Frieza is anger. An anger fueled by the murder of your Father and the destruction of the world. An anger that will not be sated until the monster responsible for it is destroyed."

Bulma jumped as she felt Vegeta's hand wrap around her wrist and pull her hand to his chest. "When it's me touching you, I don't want you to be thinking of anyone else. Whether it's fear or anger or any other feeling that invoked in you by my touch I want you to only think of me."

The feeling that shot through Bulma at his words was something like she'd never felt before. It tightened her body and gripped her heart making it hard to breath. Before she could think of anything to say, Vegeta pulled away and walked to the closet.

"Hopefully you'll be able to achieve at least that much by the time Frieza arrives. That way, even if you're still uncomfortable with me touching you, you won't have a panic attack thinking of him. Now, I have to go see what my father wanted before I find Kakarot to train. Get to work on whatever you're planning to make for me to show."

"I…," Bulma swallowed as she moved to sit up, "I'll do that. When will I be able to work in a real lab?" She asked, trying to remove the shaking from her voice.

"We'll be landing on Vegetasei by the end of the week. If the servants have any desire to remain living the lab will be fully functional then. After we'll have three weeks before Frieza _graces _us with his presence."

And with that, Vegeta was gone leaving the still dazed Bulma to contemplate his words.

* * *

Vegeta closed the door to his room before rubbing his face with his hands. He didn't want to admit it but every time the Woman brought up that pathetic excuse of a man that attacked her he wanted to tear the man apart, for impeding on any progress they were making, of course. However, more than his hate for this unknown man, he was annoyed by himself. There were a hundred more important things more important than the fact that, once again, she was not reacting the way he wanted but every time that was the only thing he could focus on. _He_ was the reason she didn't react properly to his touch and that infuriated him. This obsession was quickly becoming unbearable but he couldn't stop it. _'What is wrong with me?'_

Worse of all, his Father had busted into the room and had seen him sleeping with her and, while he didn't have sex with her, he knew that his father would have something to say about it.

Shaking his head, he quickly went to his Father's chambers to see what he wanted so that he could get to training as soon as possible.

Not bothering to knock, Vegeta kicked the door in before smirking at his Father's startled, then annoyed look. "You needed to talk to me, old man?"

"Really, Vegeta? How old are you?"

Shrugging, Vegeta folded his arms impatiently. "I was just returning the favor for your act earlier."

"Unlike you, I keep my scouter on so I could have been contacted. If you don't want people walking in on you, you should learn to do the same. I will say that I'm surprised that you actually indulged a bit with your gift."

Vegeta frowned as the subject predictably changed to earlier, "I didn't indulge in anything."

"I mentioned it before but a concubine isn't used only for sex but also for comfort and from what I saw you were _quite_ comfortable."

Vegeta felt his face become flushed despite his best efforts to remain indifferent so he just looked away. "Anyway, what did you need from me that couldn't wait until later?"

"The technicians at the palace need your permission to enter your wing of the palace."

"Of all the stupid… Why didn't you just tell them yes?" Vegeta asked annoyed that this was what his Father had deemed worthy of breaking into his room.

"Because this is your ruse and you're going to have to follow it through to the end."

"Whatever. I'm going to train now. Don't bother me with anymore pointless issues, alright?" He said as he stormed out, slightly upset that he had broken the door down since he couldn't slam it. But it was all okay. Now there was another issue to focus his anger on than his problems with the woman and he'd be able to use that to fuel his training.

Cracking his knuckles, he made his way towards the mess hall. "Looks like Kakarot will be spending more time in the tank than he wants," he smirked.

* * *

A/N: There we go. Next chapter will have them finally landing on Vegetasei. Thanks for reading. Please feel free to review as I love getting feedback.


	15. Fear or Anticipation

A/N: Hey everyone! Long time no post, right? Sorry about the wait but as we all know real life takes priority over hobbies. It's nothing to worry about but I do hope to get back into somewhat more regular updates. No promises though. In any case, here's another chapter so please enjoy.

Edit: Also I know I said in the last chapter that they'd be arriving on Vegetasei in this chapter because I had originally intended to have this and the next chapter as one. As I was writing it, however, I realized how long it was getting and that I might as well get this part out now while I worked on the rest for the next update.

* * *

'_Tomorrow.'_ Bulma thought to herself. _'Tomorrow we'll be landing on the Saiyan home planet known as Vegetasei . After that we'll have only three weeks until Frieza comes to 'celebrate Vegeta's birthday' and check in on 'Vegeta's' progress with the inventions. In addition to an improved version of the scouter and cloaking device, Vegeta also plans on presenting an even greater invention that will make Frieza's scientists look inept. Never mind the fact that I'm the one that is going to have to make all these things. Oh, and something that would make him stronger as well since I didn't already have enough on my plate._'

Bulma sighed and closed her eyes trying to reign in the anger her thoughts had turned to and decided to focus not on why she has to do it but _how_ she was going to do. Once calm, or at least calmer than before, Bulma returned to her planning. _'The scouter and the cloaking device shouldn't be any problem since I was already in the process of finishing those before I even met Vegeta. In fact that biggest problem will be making sure that the inventions are designed to reflect Vegeta's personal taste since the point is that everyone believes that he made them himself. Then again, that too probably won't be too much trouble since every time I try to explain the purpose or reasoning behind one of the inventions he feels the need to point out how pointlessly over-elaborate the designs are. In addition to that, I'll have to dig through the stuff from the home lab to find the capsule prototypes since Vegeta insists that he has to rub the capsule technology in Frieza's face. Doesn't he understand how suspicious it would be that he suddenly made something advanced enough to condense solid matter into a palm sized space? But making all of those things work wasn't nearly as mind-racking as trying to figure out a way to make someone stronger in a short amount of time. Other than working out with equipment or taking supplements nothing is really coming to mind. Not to mention they're already insanely powerful if their muscles are any implication. How much stronger would they…'_

Bulma's eyes popped open at the feeling a hand sliding up her back and under her shirt. "Damn it, Vegeta!" She reared back from as far as Vegeta's arm would let her move away. "What is wrong with you?!"

"You were falling asleep again, Woman," Vegeta responded causally from his relaxed position.

"No I wasn't! I was just concentrating on other things."

Vegeta just scoffed and rolled his eyes. "That's just as bad. You can't just block out everything and think that you'll make any progress."

"Well I wouldn't have trouble making progress if you didn't just go about groping me while I'm trying to get my body and mind to relax!" Her previous anger towards him returning as she saw him roll his eyes. This past week they had been trying to get her used to being in contact with him. So far it had been much of the same process. He lies down on the couch, she braces herself and lies down on top of him, she tries to calm down and focus on him without focusing on her phobia, and then when she thinks she's starting to make progress he ruins is by touching her. If she didn't know any better she would think that he was touching her because he enjoyed it rather than just to annoy her.

She let out a small yelp as she felt his hand move down over her bottom and squeeze it. "Wha…what are you doing?!"

Vegeta just gave her the smirk she had dubbed his 'trademark smirk' before explaining, "I just figured that if you were considering my actions before as 'groping' that you would need a demonstration so you'll know the difference. You need to stop over analyzing things and just act, unless all you're capable of is pointless contemplating things. "

She was sure she hated this man. Not only did he not seem to understand how much time and thought went into her work but he also had no patience or regard for anyone else even if they're were doing something that benefitted him.

Not to mention that his actions caused foreign feelings to course through her body; foreign feelings that she would have contently been attributing to fear if it weren't for her big mouth. Never had she imagined that confiding in Chichi that morning would backfire on her.

"_It's been, what, five days since we've seen each other? Five days! Ugh, I wish Goku had let me come earlier. Heaven kno__ws that you need a break from that egotistical jerk's brutish ways. If only Vegeta was as kind and understanding as Goku, then you'd have no problem making this plan work."_

"_If you're so worried about me we could always trade," Bulma teased._

_Chichi choked on her tea. "No thank you. I meant that Vegeta should be more like Goku, not that switching would solve anything."_

_Bulma smiled at her friend who, despite her ranting about Vegeta, was obviously head over heels for the kinder Saiyan in the quartet's ruse. She couldn't blame her though. Kakarot was more understanding when it came to interacting with others and seemed to know that a smile and kind words could accomplish as much, or even more, than an act of violence and words of intimidation. When Chichi talked about him she would blush and smile brilliantly and Bulma could see that Kakarot was happy to meet someone that accepted that what had happened in his past was a benefit and not something to cast aside and ignore. She supposed that she could also call him Goku but she didn't feel the same connection that Chichi obviously did. Not to mention that Vegeta always called him Kakarot so she had naturally become more accustomed to him being called that. _

"_Not to mention that I don't think that Goku would be able to pass off the illusion that you two are lovers. I mean, with me, it would be okay since no one's really looking for me but everyone's eyes are going to be on you and it'll have to be convincing."_

"_Yeah," Bulma laughed," I recall Vegeta saying that he could guarantee your safety since he didn't believe that Kakarot even knew what sex was."_

"_Well, that's not necessarily a bad thing, you know. Nothing wrong with waiting for the right person to come into your life and spark passion within you."_

"_Chi, you sound like these corny romances I've been using for reference."_

"_Well it's true! I mean, sure you can jump into bed with anyone but if the chemistry isn't there then the experience won't be as meaningful or as fulfilling."_

_Bulma raised a brow at her friend. "Uh-huh. And since when are you an expert on fake and real passion? I don't recall you ever even having a boyfriend back on Earth."_

"_Well, no I've never actually experienced the act but I'm sure that when the right person comes along something inside just makes itself known and tells you that this is the one. Their smile, their voice, their touch: If even the little things can cause such an explosion of feelings, then surely anything more would be the same. " Chichi smiled before snapping back to her smirking friend and clearing her throat. "Theoretically, of course."_

"_Of course." _

"_Anyway, how has it been going? With your practice, I mean. You said that you're using the romance stories as a reference. Has it been working?"_

_Bulma's smile faded as she let out a sigh. "I don't know, Chi. I'm trying. I'm trying so hard but it hasn't been easy, especially with Vegeta moving at a faster pace than I'm ready for. I decided to try this one scene from a movie where the two are just lounging, the girl laying on top of the guy just relaxing. Sounds easy, right? Even with my phobia I thought that this shouldn't be too hard. But of course, Vegeta makes anything easy hard. First off, the guy is so warm and surprisingly comfortable despite being nothing but muscle. I actually fell asleep the first time. When I woke up his hand was under my shirt and I freaked out."_

"_Yes, I do believe that was when the King decided to play his son a visit." Chichi giggled as she thought back. "Goku had to close the door so the King wouldn't hear the tongue-lashing you gave Vegeta."_

"_Well, it was his fault for groping me while I was asleep! And this isn't something that can be passed off as unintentionally moving while asleep either. Every time we try this he puts his hands on me and it just makes everything worse. I try to think of other things: blueprints, calculations, basic math, but the second he puts his hands on me my mind goes blank, my heart speeds up, and my body is wrecked with shivers of fear. I just don't know what I'm going to do." _

_Bulma wrapped her arms around herself for comfort, inhaling deeply after her long-winded confession. She expected Chichi to move in and tell her that things were alright or to agree that Vegeta was in the wrong but when several moments went by and nothing happened she finally looked up to see that Chichi was just staring at her with a confused expression. _

"_Um, I'm sorry. Let me ask you something. Are you scared of Vegeta normally, like when you're talking or eating or just sitting around?"_

"_Ah," Bulma thought about it, "…no, I'm not. I'm not afraid of him at all when we're just in the room together or when I'm explaining my inventions to him so he can prepare to pass them as his own work. Despite his ego and attitude he's actually quite witty and intelligent. In fact, with enough practice and study, I'm sure he could actually be a successful scientist in his own right. But no, it's 'beneath him and not worth wasting his precious time over', the little brat."_

"_Uh-huh. And you're comfortable being close to him."_

"_I didn't say that I'm comfortable being close to him, I said that he's comfortable to lie on. I still have to brace myself and make myself lay down, repeating over and over that it's going to be okay."_

"_And then Vegeta makes it worse by touching you because you're afraid of his touch?"_

_Bulma tried her best to see where Chichi was going with this line of questioning but couldn't so she decided to just trust he, hoping its point would help her in some way. "Yeah."_

"_Is his touch anything like thief who attacked you years ago? Is the fear like that?"_

"_No! It's not like that at all. That was harsh and cruel. I was nothing but an eyewitness to a crime he was committing, a ticket to jail. Had I not slashed out at him and gotten away he would have killed me." She shuddered in fear once again unwillingly seeing the memories again._

"_And Vegeta's touch?"_

"_Vegeta's," Bulma remembered Vegeta's words from before, to only think of him and not of phantom men that wanted to hurt her, "Vegeta's touch is softer, just barely gliding over my skin causing it to tingle and shiver. It's like, I don't know how to explain it, it's like fear but with something else I've never felt before. Like everything's out of control but I don't feel the need to scream for help." _

_Chichi's chuckle brought Bulma out of her thoughts. "What's so funny?"_

"_Tell me, do you remember how you felt when you made your first capsule?"_

_"Of course," Bulma answered easily, still unsure of what the point was, " I'll never forget that day. I was so excited! But… but I was also extremely nervous. Father was always so paranoid and hyper-critical, he kept turning the capsule over and examining every crevice as if there was something hidden that would expose his work or harm him. I don't know how long he examined it but the anticipation was killing me. I just wanted it to be over with but at the same time I wanted to see my work to the end, to see what would happen. When he finally did try my capsule out and complemented me on its success, I was ecstatic! It was like all my hard work and nervousness from his scrutiny was worth it. All that dread, all that anticipation. It was all so thrilling and new." _

_Bulma stuttered to a stop as she suddenly realized the connection, her face paling as she tried to backpedal from the realization she was coming to. "No no no, Chi. There's nothing in common with my scientific achievements and Vegeta's molestation."_

_"Oh? But which event, your panic from the thief's attack or the anticipation of seeing your work come to fruition is more like your 'practice' with Vegeta?"_

_"That was different, that thief would have killed me if he had the chance."_

_"But you defended yourself and got away before the security bots apprehended him. If Vegeta decides that you're not worth it, deal or not, you wouldn't have a chance."_

_"So what are you saying? That the overwhelming feelings I'm having when Vegeta touches me are not fear and dread but anticipation? Anticipation for what?"_

_"Seriously, Bulma? Surely you know what is involved in a romance."_

_"Yes, I know that people in love will hold hands and stargaze and will 'make love' but what does that have to do with Vegeta and me?"_

_"Not all romance is about love, Bulma. Spy movies will often have the same male lead but a different female lead for him to get with. It's all about seduction and lust without any element of commitment beyond the movie's realm. It's the same with how you need to portray your relationship with Vegeta: As a prince he should only ever show interest in a slave sexually or as someone beneath him, not as someone he's going to spend his life with as an equal."_

_"But we're just acting!"_

_"For everyone else, yes, you're just putting on a play of sorts to convince everyone that you're not the scientist that is being sought after. However that doesn't change the fact that you may actually be attracted to Vegeta personally."_

_"Vegeta's a jerk though."_

_"That he is," Chichi chuckled," and as your friend I would highly suggest that you don't fall for him or consider anything involving him in the long term, at least not unless he ever shows that he feels for you in a way other than a tool for his progress. And don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that you should just jump into bed with him. There's nothing wrong with saving yourself for someone you really have deeper feelings than lust for. I'm just saying that you should stop trying to think of your situation as only practice and see if there's actually a sense of attraction there. And even if there's not any real attraction, you may just be anticipating what will happen next since Vegeta's actions aren't something you can predict so easily."_

_"You," Bulma shook her head, "…you're crazy, Chi. There's no way these feelings have anything to do with attraction. The only thing Vegeta makes me feel is rage when he's a jerk and apprehension when he's forcing me out of my comfort zone."_

_Chichi chuckled at Bulma's obvious frustration and denial. "We'll see, Bulma. We'll see."_

Bulma was brought out of her reminiscence as Vegeta shifted again. Feeling his fingers slide into her hair and start to pull her head down, she placed her hands firmly on his chest locking her arms in an extended position. "I don't see why you want to practice kissing so much." She looked away from his mocking eyes and smirk.

"Well I suppose I could throw you down and take you in front of everyone to show them that we're intimate but I don't you're quite ready for that." Noticing Bulma's turned face blush, Vegeta leaned in close to her ear to add, "But if you want to try I'm sure I could make you twist and moan convincingly enough."

Bulma squeezed her eyes shut, trying to ignore the shivers his warm breath on her ear caused and stopping herself from thinking what he would do to accomplish his offer. _'I don't care. I'm not interested. Stupid Chi, putting dumb ideas in my head. Well if kissing is the best way to portray us as lovers, then so be it. It is only acting after all, no real feelings involved.'_

Bulma, having had enough of Vegeta playing things his way, grabbed his face and rough pushed her lips against his. She inwardly patted herself on the back when she heard him let out a surprised grunt but kept on, trying to mimic the gentle bobbing motion he seemed so fond of, focusing solely on the act and not on the feeling.

That plan didn't last too long as not only did Vegeta used his hand in her hair to move her into a more natural pressure which, she had to admit, felt better on her lips. It was like his hands, barely skimming her lips and causing subtle tingles to course through her body. It was… actually pleasant.

Their lips parted and Bulma slowly opened her eyes to see Vegeta looking at her seriously. "Who are you seeing, Woman? Are your thoughts consumed with the past right now?"

"No." Bulma answered honestly, suddenly realizing that she wasn't quaking in fear right now. She wasn't flashing back to the cold rain and cruel hands of the thief that caused her to give up all hope for a normal future. She hadn't thought about the masked man at all. Right now the only one she was concentrating on was the man before her. And for some strange reason, that was okay.

Vegeta smirked as he gently played with her hair, his nails running along the scalp sending more shivers she was not ready to admit were pleasant through her body. "It's like I told you, Woman. If you focus solely on me while we're together then everything will work out just fine. As long as this deal of ours exists the only man you should think about is me," he pulled Bulma's head back down for another kiss.

The kiss Vegeta gave her this time was different than the other ones, Bulma quickly realized as Vegeta skillfully used his tongue to part her lips and coax her tongue to meld with his. She had always been confused when she had seen couples using their tongues to kiss. Wouldn't that be disgusting? But feeling it for herself; it wasn't nearly as bad as she had thought. The act deepened the kiss, their tongues twisting around as if in battle for dominance. She was sure if she had received this kind of kiss while standing her knees would have given out. It was almost consuming enough to make her ignore Vegeta's hand once again groping her backside. _'Well two can play at that game. Come on, Bulma, you can do this. Time to stand up and show him that you can handle this situation and act without over thinking things.'_

Sliding her hand down she found the hem of his shirt and worked her hand up under it and up his chest. She could feel Vegeta's lips turn up into smirk so she assumed that her action was acceptable. Remembering how it felt when his nails grazing her scalp she decided to try it for herself. For science, of course. As she moved her hand down his rib cage, she made sure to drag her nails lightly again the warm, taut skin, giving a smirk of her own as she heard him let out a low growl. That was interesting, from an objective standpoint, of course. Not because it made her heartbeat increase. She continued her… examination and in turn Vegeta continued his: One hand in her hair, one groping her backside, and one skimming up her side towards her chest.

_'Wait, he can't be touching me in three places at once. What is going...,'_ Her thoughts were cut short as whatever was touching her slide under her shirt and it definitely wasn't a hand.

"AHHHH!" Bulma shrieked and jumped away from Vegeta, who had let go of her to cover his ears, and fell to the floor.

"Are you trying to give me hearing damage, Woman? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Something touched me and it wasn't you," she panicked while hurriedly examining her body to see if whatever had touched her was still attached somewhere. "I don't know what it was, a rat or some kind of space…rat but it was furry and…"

"It was just my tail, you crazy woman!" Vegeta yelled cutting through Bulma's hysterics.

Bulma looked down to see said tail now curling back into its usual place around his waist. "Oh my gosh," she was utterly mortified, embarrassment flooding her whole body. But she couldn't focus on that, she had to recover before Vegeta tried to belittle her for her 'weaknesses' again. "Well, what were you doing with it anyway?! You normally keep it wrapped around your waist so care to explain why it was going under my shirt?"

Vegeta's eyes narrowed but Bulma couldn't miss the nearly insignificant cringe and barely there blush on his cheeks.

"Ha, you couldn't control yourself, could you? You're always trying to act so cool like you've got everything under control but it looks like you got a little too carried away with our practice. Perhaps you should put a little more thought behind your actions than you normally do. But I suppose it's okay since we're that much closer to convincing everyone that there's real chemistry between us. Although I do have to wonder," she said coyly as she quickly moved towards the bathroom, "if there's the possibility that you're covering up some sense of attraction for me underneath this ruse you call a deal." She finished before closing the door before she could see what reaction, though she was sure it was anger, her words had caused in Vegeta.

Leaning against the door, she slid down to the floor as her proud bravado left her. 'How utterly embarrassing', she thought as she recalled what she had just said and implied about Vegeta. The words had come out faster than she could process them, twisting Chichi's analysis around to get one up on Vegeta before he took the chance like he normally did. Just desserts some would call it. Maybe he'd finally understand what it felt like to be teased for once.

She was sure she hated that man, or that was to say, she was sure she should. But little moments like these where he causes her to throw away her past and act without over analyzing things, where she can stand up tall and be the strong willed woman she wanted to be, made her realize that Chichi was right, that she was filled with anticipation of what was going to happen next.

Though she probably should take her time in the shower to let Vegeta's anger cool off a bit lest she prove Chichi's other point of not being able to do anything should he decide to kill her.

* * *

A/N: Some more progress on Bulma's part perhaps. She's still inexperienced but luckily her attitude can help her through the troubling parts. Next time, finally landing on Vegetasei!

Thanks for reading, please feel free to review as I'd long to hear your opinions on it.


	16. Weaknesses and Strengths

A/N: Long time, no see. Sorry for not updating everyone on what's been happening but the delay isn't from anything big or tragic happening in my life but simply trouble with writing. I've been struggling with this chapter for awhile now. Even though I have the story planned out to the end there are still times where the details in between have to be filled out to prevent the story from feeling sparse and if they can end up being trickier than originally thought. From interactions between certain characters to describe how something works, I've had to rewrite several scenes several times to finally get this where I felt that it was ready to be released. I suppose I could have released half of the 20 page chapter in two parts but I had decided on where the chapter was going to end and I stubbornly stuck to it. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 16: Weaknesses and Strengths

Vegeta ran his hand down Bulma's thigh as his other hand moved to gently cup her breast. Pleased at the gentle sigh she released, Vegeta moved over her, resting his weight on his calves as he straddled her petite frame.

Predictably Bulma gasped, her phobia making her unsure of his figure looming over her. "Vegeta… no, I," she gasped out, moving to push him away.

"Uh uh uh, Woman, this is your own fault. Did you really think that you could try you could embarrass me before? Or that your cocky attitude could cover up for you raging heart beat and flushed demeanor? I don't know where this streak of lusty courage came from but it's not entirely a bad thing," he said before leaning down and taking her lips again, pleased that her tongue met his to battle passionately. Pulling away to allow her air Vegeta looked up and down Bulma's body: her heaving breast, flushed cheeks, pursed lips, half-lidded eyes, and tousled hair and smirked. "No, it's not a bad thing at all," he arrogantly remarked before returning to continue the kiss.

Despite her apprehension, Vegeta could sense that Bulma was getting into their session. Her body was writhing under his and her hands were exploring his arms and chest, a sensation that he never imagined could feel so good. '_Such soft and delicate hands she has. She's far more sheltered than most women I've seen,'_ he reasoned with himself.

Not wanting to break the kiss, he concentrated on the feeling of Bulma's hands moving lower down his chest, towards his…

Slamming his arm down onto the mattress, Vegeta was instantly ripped out of the warmth of his pleasurable dream and into the stark reality of his cold, empty bed. Eyes now wide open, he focused on Bulma's even breathing coming from the sofa until he was satisfied that he hadn't outwardly given any audible signs of his intense dream. He could still feel his painful erection, hardened from the torrid images he had previously been bombarded with but he stilled himself from literally taking matters into his hands to ease that pain. He had never reduced himself to that kind of self-gratification before and he wasn't going to start now. The fact that he didn't have any of his normal options available didn't matter. After all, this was basically punishment for his lack of control earlier.

Oh sure, it would be easy to blame Bulma, which he did because she seemed to be the cause of all his problems lately, but in the end no problem should be beyond the reinforced self-control he held so dearly. As she had pointed out he normally kept his tail wrapped firmly around his waist. All Saiyans did. Tails, while important, easily revealed emotions or how relaxed one was and should only be unwrapped when in the presence of truly trusted allies or companions. Not that Vegeta ever unwrapped his tail around anyone: Not while intimate or while celebrating with other Saiyans after a successful job. Hell, the only times he could even remember losing control over his tail was when his tail was when he was venting his anger around his Father, as embarrassing as that was. Other than that he was always prepared, always aware of his surroundings, never trusting even the calmest of situations. And yet somehow, he'd let his guard down around her! Worse off SHE pointed out that it was his lack of control that caused him to unravel his tail and touch her. How utterly mortifying!

But damn it all, where had that change in attitude come from. It was like back in the alley he had first met her, where he had first seen the potential the woman had to be cool, calm, and collected under pressure. Only this time she added this level of haughtiness and that suggestive smile to the mix: Any arousal that had dissipated when she started screaming like a banshee had instantly returned ten-fold. He had been so captivated by the act that it wasn't until she had closed the bathroom door behind her that her words finally registered.

Maybe there's some underlying attraction for her? Of course there fucking was! How could she proclaim herself to be a genius but not know obvious signs of attraction? How sheltered and oblivious could she possibly be?

Then again, maybe she did understand his attraction for her but just didn't return the feeling? After all, she had originally said that she'd put on an act so convincing that _he'd_ believe she was _'in love'_ with him. Was that it? Was she taunting him, laughing at how she could easily undermine all of his self-control, leading him on that there was a chance that he'd get some relief in the end?

A low growl rumbled through his chest at that thought. He'd find out tomorrow if she was playing him for a fool or just a naïve idiot. If it was the former he'd have to remind her who was in charge here.

Bulma sighed in her sleep as she turned to get more comfortable. Vegeta closed his eyes tight as he pinched the bridge of his nose as it drew his mind back to the dream he was trying to forget. _'Am I seriously losing to someone's that asleep?' _Vegeta mentally groaned as he looked over at the clock.

How long had he slept this time? Certainly not more than a few hours, not like that was different than normal but he wanted to get back to sleep so that he'd be rested when they landed on Vegetasei.

Lowering his arm to his side, he began to meditate in hopes of clearing his mind and blocking out all external stimuli. This tactic was cut short as Bulma released another sensual sounding sigh. Growling, Vegeta jumped out of bed. Ignoring his tired body and aching head, he grabbed some training shorts and left his room to train the remainder of the night.

* * *

Bulma was startled out of her mostly peaceful sleep by a gentle, for Vegeta, kick to the couch she was sleeping on. "Get your lazy ass out of bed, Woman."

Blinking owlishly a few times, Bulma finally registered what was going on and attempted to give him a kick of her own. Vegeta, having been awake several hours more than Bulma, easily caught the kick and pulled her leg causing her to move down the couch several feet with a small yelp. Before she could move back into a sitting position Vegeta pushed her leg up to her chest to allow himself to loom over her, leaning down to slide his lips along her neck.

"H-hey stop it! Let go of my leg and get off me!" Bulma stuttered out, uncomfortable in more ways than one.

"You're very flexible, woman," Vegeta whispered in her ear causing her to shiver and blush like mad. Deciding that she wouldn't let him get the upper hand, she pushed against his chest to try to get enough space to think straight. "What's wrong, Woman? Use up all of your bravado?"

Bulma's eyes snapped open as she realized that this was some sort of revenge for embarrassing him last night. '_Who cares if he's upset? That was last night and this is now,'_ she thought as she pushed his chest as hard as she could. While she only gained a few inches of distance it was enough for her to let him know that, having been so rudely awakened, she wasn't in the mood for his games.

However, any angry words that had formed stalled in her throat as she got a good look at his face. Despite his claims a few days ago that he didn't normally sleep much, she never imagined that he'd ever look this tired. "Hey, are you okay? You look," Bulma's concerned question was cut short by Vegeta smacking the hand reaching for his face away with a sneer.

"I don't recall asking for your opinion on my health woman. What I do want is to see if that fiery spirit from last night is something you can use at anytime or if it's something that can only be conjured in times of desperation." He smirked mockingly before adding, "Given what I've seen since meeting you it's probably the latter."

"This is serious, Vegeta. If you're not feeling well…,"

"Enough!" Vegeta cut off Bulma's plea with a roar. "When I say your opinion doesn't matter, that means stop trying to tell me it."

While Bulma had originally been concerned about Vegeta's health and then scared at Vegeta out roar, his last words instantly rekindled her earlier anger. Before she realized what she was doing, she slapped Vegeta as hard as she could. Even though her hand felt like it was broken, she took some pride in seeing that the hit had taken Vegeta by surprise. Knowing that his surprise would wear off quickly, Bulma decided to validate her action.

"Don't you DARE tell me that my opinion doesn't matter! I am not going to be some kind of butt-kissing yes-man that always does what they're told without questioning whether you're wrong or right." Vegeta finally seemed to recover from his shock and narrowed his eyes. Before he could say anything though, Bulma interrupted him. "No! I have every right to say whatever I want and you're just going to have to accept that. I've said this so many times before and I'm sick and tired of repeating myself. We. Have. A. Partnership. We're only playing slave and master in the public eyes so you're going to have to stop doing things the way you want and learn how to work with me or this plan is never going to get anywhere."

Vegeta seemed to have calmed a bit. "You're the one with problems, Woman. Not me."

"Yes, my phobia is a problem and we're making it better. But your health is just as important to this situation as anything else. If you don't take care of yourself, you won't have the physical _or_ mental ability to get strong enough to take down Frieza."

"I don't need a shut-in like you telling me what is affecting my training. I've trained my entire life. It's in my blood."

"And yet you came to me," Bulma said calmly. "To help you achieve something that you couldn't do on your own before."

"You're here to make equipment and pretend to be a devoted concubine. Nothing else is required of you, especially not counseling me on my livelihood."

"You're right, but then again, you're also wrong," Bulma commented nonchalantly. "Don't you see Vegeta? I can't make equipment for you to train with if I don't know what limits your body has. If I try to make things based off of my knowledge of the physical abilities of humans you're not going to get anywhere. And what kind of 'devoted concubine' wouldn't be concerned about her master's wellbeing. You should want me to notice everything different about you if you want to be the only man in my life."

Vegeta's eyes widened in shock and Bulma could have sworn she saw a faint blush grace his cheeks. "S-stupid Woman!" Bulma could barely keep the amused look off her face as Vegeta seemed to be stumbling for words. "I-I didn't say that I wanted to be the only man in your life! I said that you should only focus on me."

Bulma raised an eyebrow, "Um, what exactly is the difference?"

"There's a huge difference!" Vegeta snapped before tightly closing his eyes and shaking his head, apparently in an attempt to regain control. "What I'm saying is that you should only think about me so that you won't panic when you think about other men. Your version is suggesting that… that…," Vegeta trailed off trying to find the right words. Bulma was happy to fill in the blanks.

"That you want me as something more than a tool?" Vegeta visibly flinched. "Don't worry. Last night, I was just using that 'fiery spirit' to prevent myself from turning into a quivering mess. I know that you aren't actually attracted to me," Bulma finished in an attempt to placate him. _'Even if, beyond all possible reason, I am attracted to you.'_

"You…," Suddenly, Vegeta fell against her, his head buried in the crook of her neck. Once again, concern flooded Bulma. _'Did he pass out? Is he so tired that he just collapsed?' _Before she could express her concern, Vegeta pulled himself back up to look at her with his typical smirk. "You really are an idiot."

Bulma's jaw dropped in anger but any reaction she would have had was cut off when Vegeta grabbed her chin and roughly kissed her. She found herself returning the kiss until she remembered that Vegeta had just insulted her. She would have ripped her mouth away from his but Vegeta beat her to it, not only being the first to pull away but also pulling her off the couch and pushing her towards the bathroom.

"Hurry up and bathe. We'll be landing soon so you have 10 minutes before the stabilization process begins. The gravity difference between Yapisha and our world is quite significant so you'll need to have everything done by then since you'll likely be unable to move," Vegeta casually said while turning his attention towards his scouter.

"What? There's no way I can get ready in 10 minutes! Why didn't you wake me up earlier?"

"If you're going blame someone, blame yourself for wasting so much time."

"Wasting time?! You're the one who knew we'd be landing soon and still took the time to attack and molest me."

Vegeta ignored her rant. "Nine minutes, Woman."

"Argh!" Bulma screamed, picking up a pillow and throwing it at the frustrating man, turning to leave before seeing if it somehow defied logic and managed to hit him. Grabbing some clothes, Bulma stomped into the bathroom. Stripping and stepping into the shower, she lathered up thoroughly.

"Stupid jerk! Who does he think he is?! Oh yeah, '_the mighty oh so powerful prince of all Saiyans'_.As if his dumb title will make me ignore his horrible attitude. Seriously, does he know anything about time maintenance at all? Training to death instead of sleeping. Pinning me down when we're minutes away from stabilizing, whatever that means. He knows how I react to that kind of situation. The last thing anyone needs is me being a nervous wreck while getting off this ship."

Pouring some 'hair cleanser' into her hands, she started working on her hair but suddenly stopped. Her eyes widened as she thought back to Vegeta's 'attack' on her this morning. During all their practices, she'd been on top, able to at least feel like she could push away if things went bad. But this time he had her pinned down, pressed intimately close, and even kissed her and she hadn't reacted badly at all. No flashbacks, no shaking, not even an irregular heartbeat. This fear that she had thought would haunt her forever didn't even rear its ugly head during the whole time Vegeta had her pinned beneath her. She never would have believed it but the amount of progress she'd made was undeniable.

"Was it because I was so angry I couldn't focus on being afraid," Bulma asked aloud as her hands dropped from her hair to cover her heart, "or… have I gotten used to Vegeta enough this past week to know to actually feel safe even in that kind of situation?"

She was brought out of her quandary by the sound of pounding on the door. "Five minutes, Woman," Vegeta's annoyed voice sounded. "If you're not out of here by then I'll drag you out myself."

Bulma frowned. "Definitely anger," Bulma huffed out before continuing to wash up.

In record time, Bulma had finished showering. She had just barely finished shimming into her dress before the door swung open, making her hands spring up to cover her rapidly beating heart. Vegeta, looking annoyed as usual, quickly swept his eyes over her before letting out a disinterested huff of air and leaving the way he came.

Now over her shock, Bulma frowned at Vegeta's reaction before turning to look over her outfit in the mirror. She had grabbed a simple sleeveless purple dress that she normally wore with tights and a cardigan. The dress molded to every curve of her body and was short enough to only come mid-thigh so she had always been worried that the dress would be too revealing without the extra pieces. However, being the social recluse that she was, it was the sexiest outfit she owned. Not that Vegeta shared the same opinion apparently. Yes this deal was only a ruse and Vegeta didn't actually have any interest in her but it still stung her pride a bit.

Grabbing a towel to dry her hair, Bulma walked out of the bathroom. A smile lit up her face as she noticed that Chichi and Kakarot had entered sometime during her shower. Sitting comfortably close to each other on the couch, they looked up to greet her.

"Bulma, I love that dress!" Chichi gushed. "I don't think I've ever seen it before."

"Mom got it for me awhile back. I normally wear tights and a cardigan with it though."

"Cardigan?" Chichi mulled about the explanation until she remembered. "You mean that old, gray sweater that was three times your size? I thought that was a shirt underneath it."

"Oh hush." Bulma stuck her tongue out at her friend's chiding. "The lab got cold during the winter months. Besides," she paused to adjust the hem of her dress, "this dress has always been too short to wear on its own."

"Nonsense! Bulma you look fantastic. And I'll bet any man would agree."

Bulma looked down, embarrassed by her friend's critique, before looking at Vegeta out of the corner of her eyes. He'd yet to look at her since she'd come out of the bathroom and instead seemed to be more interested with his scouter and his luggage. _'Not any man,' _she thought bitterly.

Chichi seemed to notice Bulma's change in attitude. "Bulma is something wrong?"

Shaking her head at Chichi, Bulma walked over to get her things together.

"Don't bother with packing now," Vegeta told her as he continued to pack his own things. "The ship is going to start with the stabilization process soon and you'd be better off sitting down for it."

"What does the stabilization process consist of?" Bulma asked.

Letting out a sigh, Vegeta moved towards his closet to continue with his task. "Woman, I know that you're brainy and love to overanalyze pointless things but there are more important things to consider right now."

Bulma put her hands on her hips as she glared at his back. "Listen, you jerk! I'm a scientist and given all the research that goes into my profession I can tell that the process of getting a ship through the atmosphere is anything but pointless. I don't need to know the complete theory and mechanics if you don't know what that entails of. I just want to see how it compares to the methods I've studied from Earth so that I'll have an idea of what effects it might have on our bodies."

Walking out of the closet and finally looking at her, though only to give her an annoyed glance, Vegeta moved back to his bed to continue packing. "All I know is that it involves air pressure or something similar to somehow equalize the atmosphere to allow our bodies to adjust safely."

"Oh, so it's something like a hyperbaric chamber then?" Bulma questioned. At Vegeta's confused look, Bulma added, "It's a chamber used to help divers adjust to the difference in pressure after coming out of the ocean. How long will it take to completely stabilize the ship?"

Vegeta shrugged. "It depends on the weather conditions but usually about ten minutes."

Bulma's jaw dropped. "Ten minutes? That's not nearly enough time for bodies to adjust to a pressure difference. It could result in something similar to decompression sickness which can result in issues as serious as paralysis or death!"

Finally Vegeta gave up on packing and turned to finally face her. "Look I don't know how it works but millions of species aside from those on your backwater planet apparently travel through space every day and there are no issues with "decompression sickness" or anything of the like. The stabilization process just allows us to negate to lack of gravity in space so that we can move around like normal."

Thinking about his explanation, Bulma considered if there was still some danger. "I wouldn't have thought that air pressure would be able to change the effects of gravity."

"I can't believe we're even having this conversation," Vegeta said as he rolled his eyes. "I suppose it's amazing enough that you were able get in space at all considering how little your backwater planet knows about the reality of the universe. How did you pilot the ship at all? Did you just float around the entire time?"

Letting out a chuckle despite her previous concerns, Bulma smiled smugly at him. "No, not at all. You see, this backwater planet of ours came up with a method of our own. And from the sound of it, our method is far more advanced." Bulma looked down to hide her smug smile, pretending that the carpet was more worth her time than the glare she was receiving.

Her smile instantly vanished as she noticed that the carpet was coming closer at a shockingly fast pace. So fast that it didn't occur that she had been falling until the black carpet turned into the royal blue of Vegeta's armor.

"Damn it, Woman. This is specifically why I told you to stop with your inane questions," Vegeta mumbled to her as he flipped her to face the ceiling, he head coming to rest on his lap. Or at least it sounded like he was mumbling through the pounding of blood pumping through her ears. It felt like a thick blanket had been thrown over her, suffocating her with a weight and warmth her body wasn't prepared for. More than likely the shift in pressure had caused her body to be unable to support itself and her circulatory system had tried to counter-act the issue by opening her blood vessels to allow more blood to the weakened areas. If she had the strength to look down at herself she wouldn't have been surprised to see that her entire body had become flushed looking.

Moving her eyes to the side, she saw Kakarot holding Chichi close to his chest with a blue wave of energy surrounding them. Chichi looked a bit winded from her experience with the pressure but seemed to be in better condition since she was able to look around a bit.

"Vegeta," Kakarot started speaking and Bulma tried her best to follow along despite the pounding in her ears, "… your… ki."

Her side view of Kakarot and Chichi shifted to become a frontal one as Vegeta maneuvered her body close to his chest. All at once both of their bodies were encompassed in a similar wave of energy and the huge pressure was lifted away and Bulma gasped trying to take in as much air as possible. Looking over to Vegeta, she could have sworn that for the barest second he had been worried for her but the look was quickly replaced by his usual smirk.

"Leave it to you, Woman, to have to prove me wrong. Absolutely amazing that in a universe full of beings of all different makes and lifestyles that your species would be the single one weak enough to nearly die from a standard procedure," Vegeta chuckled.

'_Bastard,'_ Bulma thought to herself, unable to move even the minor amount necessary to curse him aloud. Was it wrong to hope that she was somehow capable of harming someone through her glare? At the moment, she didn't care.

Of course the only effect her anger had on the Prince was amusement. "What, no long-winded complaints? I'll have to keep this situation in mind next time I want you to shut up."

A thousand bitter retorts and reactions passed through Bulma's mind as well as the equally bitter knowledge that she wouldn't be able to act on any of them. Thankfully Chichi spoke up before anything more embarrassing could happen. "That was only the first minute of your stabilization? How do regular people survive this?"

Kakarot looked over towards Vegeta for a moment before looking at her again. "Well, like Vegeta said, the stabilization process has been used for space travel for awhile now."

Chichi gave a glare of her own. "Just because something is being used for a long time doesn't mean that it's not negatively affecting people. Some people go for years before they notice that something is wrong with their methods." Bulma almost chuckled at the terrified look on Goku's face. "Have you ever actually looked at the logs of other races to see if they having as little trouble as you believe?"

"Um… no?" Kakarot cocked his head to the side with a clearly confused look on his face. Apparently it was a look that Chichi thought was cute because she blushed and looked away, trying to focus on her anger to get her point across.

"Well you should. For all you know there are races that are barely able to travel without major loss."

Having enough of Chichi's remarks, Vegeta cut in. "If I had known that the Women's blathering would have just been replaced with yours, I'd have left the room altogether. I don't care about how the stabilization process works or how it affects other races. Unless you can come up with something better I don't want to hear anything from you."

Bulma couldn't help but let out a chuckle at that comment. It hurt her chest to force the sound out and it earned her a sharp look of annoyance from Vegeta but it was completely worth it. He really needed to learn not to underestimate her.

"Glad you've found something to amuse you, Woman. Hopefully it'll keep your spirits up for the remaining time we have to wait until you're able to function."

It was a comment meant to lower her spirits if anything but nothing could change the fact that she would be taking him down several pegs later. And that was a feeling she was more than willing to wait for.

* * *

Several minutes after the ship stabilized, Bulma was found that she was still unable to move much. Even talking was still painful. Chichi was able to move around though it was with a bit of effort since her body was aching all over. Being all cozy with Kakarot seemed to have more benefits than just flirting since he was able to react quickly enough to prevent the pressure from crushing her as much.

Not that it mattered why she was unable to move or how long it was going to take for her to recover. Vegeta was Vegeta and if things weren't going his way at the moment he wanted he'd do all in his power to change that. So Chichi had finished packing for her and without a second thought Vegeta had scooped her up and was out the door with Kakarot and Chichi close behind. Never would she have imagined that Vegeta would willingly carry her in the typical bridal/princess style but maybe it wasn't as suggestive of a position for Saiyans as it was for Humans. At least it was better than thrown over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

Despite the embarrassing situation of being carried by Vegeta, Bulma let her eyes wander. Unlike Chichi, she hadn't been out Vegeta's room all week so this was the first time she had a chance to examine the Saiyan's ship. The halls seemed abandoned making her wonder where everyone was. Were they still in their rooms because the ship fully stabilized yet? No, that couldn't be it. If a safety reason was keeping everyone else inside it would also be keeping them inside.

The only other reason she could think of was that everyone was already outside in the docking bay. Which meant that, once again, she was going to be surrounded by giant strangers who were all going to be staring and ogling her. The thought made her stomach clench with dread.

After walking for several minutes down a seemingly endless hallway, they finally came to a stop in front of two large, metal doors. Once they opened with what had to be the loudest sound in existence, Bulma's dread was justified.

Much as Bulma had surmised, everyone was already in the docking bay and was in the process up unpacking and moving supplies from the ship. Despite the Saiyan's surely knowing the sound the door made, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned towards them. Upon seeing their prince they all saluted but it was clear that their attention was on her. Some were whispering to others, some nudging their neighbors in the ribs with a chuckle, others looked her up and down as if trying to see what made her worthy of their prince's attention.

Before the panicked feeling she had experienced before kicked in, she heard a low growl coming from Vegeta. Instantly several heads either dropped or looked away. Those that didn't turned to laugh or chide those that had. Looking closer, Bulma realized that the ones that didn't look away were slightly slimmer than the others. _'Are they female Saiyans? Geez, no wonder Vegeta isn't into his own kind.'_

No, that wasn't a fair statement. They weren't ugly, not at all. Toned, built bodies and handsome, chiseled faces. They were just like the two Saiyans she'd had the pleasure of interacting with the past week only more compact. If they were a little more compact, closer to Chichi's martial arts trained body, and perhaps a little less battle scarred they'd be more on par with some of the Hollywood celebrities that starred in action movies.

"Ugh, I didn't think I could feel any worse than on the ship but somehow it's worse out here." Chichi sighed out as she shifted her bag from her shoulder to the ground. Before she put it all the way down, Kakarot took it from her. "Oh, thanks so much, Go-," Chichi caught herself saying his nickname before changing to his formal title, "Master Kakarot."

"It's fine. And I'm sure the gravity is what you're feeling there. The gravity her is about 10 times as high as it was on Yapisha."

Chichi's jaw drop mirrored Bulma's mental one. "10 times? So you're constantly being crushed under your own weight?"

"It's not all that bad. In fact, the higher gravity of our planet allows us to be able to move faster than our opponents when we're on planets with lower gravity. Ah, but the opposite is also true, I guess." Kakarot explained with a sheepish grin.

Chichi tried to hold back a chuckle at Kakarot's words since it was no doubt bad behavior for a concubine. "So half your battles are enjoyable and the other half are difficult then?"

"Feh," Vegeta scoffed, startling Bulma who in her exhausted state had forgotten that she was in his arms. Vegeta gave her a disapproving look before returning his glare to Chichi. "Such a pathetic line of logic. The difficult battles are the enjoyable ones. The only benefit of fighting weaklings is getting the job done quickly. A true warrior constantly seeks a challenge."

"But what about when you know you're at a disadvantage? Surely you can't enjoy a having a challenge if you know you're only option is to retreat."

"A warrior should judge his opponent and choose their battles wisely," Vegeta answered. "If they rush into battle and then flee at the thought of defeat then they are nothing short of a foolhardy coward. If defeat is the only fate to be seen, then it is fate itself that they should challenge."

Several Saiyans cheered in favor of their Prince's words but Chichi seemed to still unconvinced. "But what about situations that you can't predict? What if you go to a planet believing that you're prepared for everything only to find that...," she paused, struggling to think of an example that couldn't be overturned by the Saiyans blatant egoism, "that Frieza himself was the actual enemy?"

Bulma never thought that anything could be worse than the sound of a crowd's deafening conversations but the sudden silence that surrounded them was absolutely terrifying. If someone dropped a pin she was sure it would sound like an atom bomb detonating. It seemed as if everyone was frozen, not even taking the time to breathe. She would have wondered if time itself had frozen if it wasn't for the violent tremble coursing through Vegeta's arms. Looking up at his face she noticed that his annoyed glare at Chichi had changed into a death glare. It seemed that he was ready to snap at any moment and for the first time she was glad that she was too weak to move if only because he wouldn't be able to attack Chichi.

"If Frieza were to decide to become the enemy," the voice of King Vegeta as cut through the silence gaining everyone's full attention, turning their eyes towards his regal and proud form as he descended the ramp from the ship, "then there would be nowhere in the universe for even the greatest of cowards to hide." The severity of his words struck deeply in everyone's minds. "It is for this reason that we must dishonor our very beliefs, obeying every twisted whim that Frieza will not yield on and ignoring every wrongdoing he thrusts upon us. We do so, not because we agree with his views or because we believe that we can benefit from a partnership, but because we know that we are not strong enough to defeat him. However it is not cowardice that stays our hand. No, we hold ourselves back because we know that by biding our time and pushing ourselves as hard as possible we will be able gain the power to succeed against him. Our efforts are not in vain. Already Prince Vegeta has surpassed the unbelievable predictions of his possible strength. And Kakarot has proven that being born with a low power level does not mean that there is a limit to the power one can achieve. The day we have waited so long for will soon be in our grasp. But should that glorious day not come before Frieza's inevitable betrayal, we will not waste our time with mourning 'what ifs' and 'could have beens' nor will we flee or beg for mercy. We will rejoice because we will once again be free to follow our beliefs and fight like we've never fought before so that even Frieza himself would have to acknowledge our warrior pride."

At his words, the crowd erupted into cheers, praising their King's words and pledging their undying loyalty. The King moved his eyes away from Chichi's stunned expression to look over his people. Raising his hand to silence them, he broadly grinned.

"We have returned from our battle in undeniable victory. Reward yourselves this evening then prepare yourselves for our future battles so that they will end in victory as well."

Once again cheers broke out but it seemed that the Saiyans were content to go about their business and head out, to home or to celebrate Bulma didn't know. Looking away from the departing Saiyans, Bulma was shocked to see that the King was not only closer but looking at her with an amused look similar to his son's.

"What happened here?"

"Turns out humans don't adapt too well to the stabilization process." Vegeta explained dryly. "Another example of Frieza being a cheap bastard."

The King laughed out loud at his son's comment. "That it is." Taking a moment to look Chichi over, he directed his humor towards Kakarot, "Looks like your pick is holding up a bit better, Kakarot. That could be because she's more suited to our lifestyle than Vegeta's though. She might even be able to stand her ground in a fight with one of the southerners."

"Thank you sire," Chichi responded with a bow, happily accepting the praise. "Who are the Southerners though? Are they some sort of enemy or ally race?"

"No," the King shook his head, a more solemn look crossing his face as he took a glance at his son before looking back to Chichi. Bulma looked up at Vegeta only to see him looking away, pretending to be uninterested in the subject. "They're Saiyans who live far to the South of here. You see, the land surrounding this area is covered with a harsh, barren desert with fierce beasts capable of ripping apart anything that crosses their path. While other species would choose not to settle in this kind of area, for most Saiyans it is the perfect environment since it provides a constant challenge to make us faster, stronger warriors. In the southern land, however, the desert turns to dense forest that provides cover for the beasts that survive though ambush. The Saiyans that live there grow stronger in a different way by adapting to land, relying on stealth and agility to take down their enemies. Of course, all aspects have a meaning and purpose in a fight so we make sure that our warriors here also learn how to adapt to situations that require finesse over force."

"Wow, I grew up in the mountains back home but I'll bet it would be a completely different experience here," she gushed dreamily.

Bulma had to hold herself back from rolling her eyes over Chichi's avid interest in the subject of the Saiyans' different fighting methods. Not because she was afraid Chichi would be upset but because there was a chance that the King could take it the wrong way, that she was rolling her eyes at him. The subject of martial arts was interesting; it just wasn't as interesting as Chichi always seemed to find it. It was the same with housekeeping activities. Finding out simple tricks to make housework easier thrilled Chichi but to Bulma a chore was a chore and not something she wanted to talk about. But then she was sure Chichi could say the same about delicate intricacies of how circuit boards work. Sure she could solder and attach anything the plans told her to but did she know why or what her adjustments did? Absolutely not.

Turning to Kakarot, Chichi smiled. "Surely it's a great experience to train in such as vastly different area, Master?"

"Of course. There's nothing better than a new challenge to face head on. Ah," Kakarot's smile dropped as if something just occurred to him, "not that I've ever been to the Southern lands."

"Huh, you haven't? But it's on your own planet. Is it that far away? Oh! It is because the desert is too treacherous to cross?"

"No, nothing like that."

"Then wha…"

"Enough!" Vegeta yelled out bringing everyone's attention back to him. "I swear, do you ever cease with your pointless questions?"

"Ease up, boy. I know you've been mostly focusing on combat for awhile now but diplomacy is part of being a prince too. It won't hurt you to learn and share a bit of culture every now and again."

"I didn't realize diplomacy involved gossiping like bored housewives. Unlike you, I have better things to do than stand around holding an incapacitated woman while listening to you bond with servants."

The King chuckled a bit. "You'd prefer to get her to your chambers where she can be of some use to you, I take it? Perhaps take another nap on the couch with you will do her some good?" His chuckle switched back to his deep, booming laugh as Vegeta flinched a bit at his suggestion but Bulma barely noticed.

It was clear that the King thought much more of Chichi's capabilities than her own. Chichi was physically closer to the Saiyans' than she was so he seemed to easily accept that she would be capable of fighting even without knowing about Chichi's abilities. Of course the only times he'd seen her she'd either been near fainting or cuddling with Vegeta so what else was he supposed to think of her?

'_I look so different compared to everyone else. Pale complexion, little body tone, obviously different coloring; there's no chance anyone from this kind of society would ever assume I could do anything outside of entertainment. Even walking in this gravity is too hard for me. I wish I'd known about the increase of gravity beforehand. I would have made something to counteract its effects. Then maybe I wouldn't be sitting here looking absolutely pathetic.'_

"I swear, when did you become such a perverted old man?" Vegeta retorted, obviously uncomfortable with his Father's easy acceptance of his private activities.

'_It wouldn't be too hard,' _Bulma thought to herself, only half listening to the conversation around her. _'The gravity generator was a complex technology but it'd probably only take a day to make a smaller one capable of slight gravity changes. Perhaps something adjustable so she'd be able to gradually be able to move under her own power.' _

"Perverted?" The King questioned, still smiling broadly. "I didn't say anything of the sort. Sounds to me like you're filling in the blanks a bit too eagerly, don't you think?"

Vegeta growled, apparently tired with his Father's ability to control the conversation so easily. "Like I said, I have more important things to do, things that involve shoving Frieza's attitude in his face and getting strong enough to take him down. Every second I'm not focusing on things like that, I'm wasting."

'Oh yeah, I still have to think about something that'll make him stronger. He probably won't be happy to learn that I'm planning on converting the gravity generator first. Well he'll just have to deal with it since conquering the gravity will be the first step in become strong enough to…'

Bulma's eyes widened as it suddenly hit her. Hadn't Kakarot said it just minutes ago, that the gravity difference made battles easier on some planets and harder on others? If even a slight difference could change the battle that much, what would a large change do?

"I'm sorry," Bulma said aloud, causing everyone's attention to move to her.

"B, what's wrong?" Chichi quickly moved to her side, trying to see what was wrong.

Bulma kept her eyes on Vegeta's though hoping that he'd understand what she was trying to indirectly say. "You mentioned… that you had a big idea that you needed to work on right away. It's because of me that you haven't been able to get to your lab, right?" Bulma choked out before the pain of breathing finally prevented her from saying more.

Unfortunately it seemed that her act was doing little more than confusing Vegeta. His eyes darted around her face and then down to her clenched fist lying on her chest. He shifted his arm slightly which did seem to alleviate her pain somewhat before looking back to her eyes. She would have to remember to be grateful for the rare act of kindness Vegeta bestowed on her later but right now there were more important things. Fortunately Chichi did pick up the message and she continued the act where it was left off.

"Oh no, that's right. Master Kakarot mentioned that you had a big breakthrough and that you wanted to get to your lab as soon as you landed so you could get some plans written out before you went to train. We're so sorry for wasting your time and preventing you from getting to your lab quickly enough."

Vegeta's eyes widened for a split second as he finally picked up on the 'get to the lab' part of their acting, as well as the 'big breakthrough' part. Narrowing his eyes again, he snapped his attention back to Chichi. "Finally you remember your place. How absolutely ridiculous that your first thoughts are to waste time chatting than to prepare for your roles in our households. You'd think a week of service would put you in the correct mindset but it seems that you'll need to actually do some work before it becomes second nature to you."

"I'm very sorry, Master," Chichi muttered through clenched teeth. Bulma could tell Chichi wanted to lash at Vegeta's way of acting the part but both of them knew that this was the way his Father would expect him to act.

"Let's go, Kakarot," Vegeta said over his shoulder as he turned to walk towards one of the side exits.

"You're going that way? I understand that your concubine isn't in the best shape right now but I'm sure they'd both like to see a little more than an industrial alleyway before you flying to your balcony entrance in less than five seconds."

"I have to get to my lab now. They can look out the windows if they want to see something else," answered back without stopping.

"For the love of….," King Vegeta sighed out as he rubbed his temple. "Look I don't care anymore that you're keeping this science act up but can't you at least give these women the chance to look around the kingdom before they're locked away in your chambers?"

'Locked away?' That comment hit her hard and instantly brought back images of home. How her Father keep her inside. How he had designed a special landing strip so she could get out of their plane without actually being outside, in view of anyone that could possibly wanted to do harm to her or the company. Sure it made this deal possible and it was the lifestyle she was used to but there was a small part of her that wanted to be able to go outside without someone else deciding when it was okay. Shaking her head from such bitter thoughts, Bulma refocused on her plans.

"I'll bother with petty things like that later," Vegeta answered back before locking eyes with Bulma's, "that is 'if' they've earned the privilege."

'_Oh, don't you worry, Buster. I'll more than earn it,'_ Bulma thought with a barest of smirks edging onto her lips.

Vegeta seemed to notice and hurried his pace a bit, ignoring his Father's attempts at further conversation. Once outside, Bulma heard Chichi yelp as Kakarot picked her at with his free arm. There was barely enough time to respond to being grabbed before both Saiyan's jumped up and seemingly landed before an intricately designed glass door.

"Wha-what just…," Chichi stammered out, looking around as Kakarot placed her back on her feet. "What just happened? I know the King said less than five seconds but that was insane."

"Shut up and get inside," Vegeta grumbled as he commanded the door to open. Once inside, Bulma looked around at the common area taking note of what had been added from her design. Noticing her distraction, Vegeta started to walk towards the living portion of the area. "You can go over your checklist later, Woman. We're going to the labs now since you were so insistent on it."

"No." Bulma answered simply as she continued to look around, to see what area she could work with.

Vegeta halted in his tracks and glared down at her. "No?! What do you mean, no?! Don't tell me you put on that act simply because you wanted to get away from people looking at you!"

Ignoring Vegeta's rage, Bulma pointed over to the open part of the room. "Chichi, can you decapsulate the ship over there."

"Sure," she answered. Moving over to the bag Kakarot was still holding, Chichi dug around and the familiar capsule out before tossing it as far as she could. After the puff of smoke revealed the ship, Chichi moved over and entered the command to open it. "If you'd please follow me."

Both Saiyans still seemed shocked that such a device was possible but finally entered the ship.

Bulma locked eyes with the generator, ready to finally be able to explain her "Chichi, please close the door. Vegeta can you set me down over by that column?" Vegeta seemed hesitant but finally moved where she had instructed and lowered her to her feet.

Bulma braced herself against the main panel feeling the full force of the planet's higher gravity. She was glad that Vegeta hadn't stepped completely away since she was sure she'd have fallen directly to the ground by now. Working fast, Bulma keyed in the command to produce the artificial gravity field the generator created. Feeling as if a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders, Bulma let out a sigh of relief. Hearing Chichi giggle, Bulma looked over her to see Kakarot completely baffled by the obvious shift in gravity. He jumped around a bit, seeing if he wasn't just imaging things.

Smiling at his amazement, Bulma turned to look over her other shoulder to see how Vegeta was reacting only to realize that his face was just inches from hers. Instead of looking around the room or testing the gravity for himself, he was looking directly at her. His piercing gaze held her in place, causing her irregular heartbeat to kick in again.

"How?"

Barely stopping herself from answering back with 'what?' or something equally as dumb, Bulma composed herself. "You said on the ship that we should come up with something better than your stabilization process if we didn't like it. Well, we already have. This is the gravity generator. It produces an artificial field that mimics the level of gravity it's set to."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes but didn't seem to be angry, just analyzing her. "This can't be the big breakthrough you had then. You didn't just suddenly remember that you had this machine."

"No, I was thinking about how I could create a smaller version that would be able to negate the gravity and let me move better." Vegeta took a step back allowing her to turn around, Bulma faced the room. "Then I remembered what Kakarot said."

"What I said?" Kakarot asked, trying to remember what he could have said that could would trigger something in Bulma.

Chichi gasped, as she realized what Bulma was going for. "That's right! Goku, you said that the gravity difference between your planets and others could change your ability in battle."

"Precisely. But what if there was a way to get the same effect without leaving your own planet? What if you were able to control the timing and increase the level that advantage could give you? What if you trained at 20 times the gravity of this planet? Or 50 times? Or 100 times? Imagine how much faster and stronger you'd be every time you returned to your base gravity. Every day you'd be able to feel the difference in your ability because you'd be putting your body through more work than what would normally be possible."

"Wow, you really think you could do it?" Kakarot asked excitedly.

"Yes it can be done. I'll need to make a personal simulator first since I'll be able to work better if I'm not exhausted." Turning to look at Vegeta, she added. "There's also the issue of making prototypes for you to prevent to Frieza. That'll take some time as well."

"They're just fake prototypes, right?" Chichi questioned. "Basically removing the polish from already completed projects. If you two," Chichi motioned to Kakarot and Vegeta, "can help Bulma with the heavy lifting required to make the generator then I should be able to make the prototypes."

"It sounds like a plan that we can move forward with," Bulma answered with a smile before looking to Vegeta again. "Well, what do you think? Willing to do some menial labor for a greater cause?"

"Whatever it takes," Vegeta answered without pause. Though his body still seemed rigid as always Bulma could see it in his eyes that he was excited by the prospect of artificial gravity manipulation, that there actually was a way to aid in his efforts to get stronger. "We only have three weeks until Frieza comes here. We can't take the risk that he'll be content with a conflict-free visit. He never has been before. Every second we can train with this machine of yours is another step towards closing the gap between his power and ours."

Bulma shook her head. "I can't promise that you'll be able to fight Frieza one on one three weeks from now. While I haven't met him personally I can tell from the reactions of this prideful warrior race of yours that his level of corruption and power is not something to take lightly. But," Bulma smiled genuinely, without sarcasm or smugness, "I believe that you'll surpass him in time so I'll be more than happy to provide the tools and materials to build a bridge to make that time shorter."

* * *

A/N: Well they're finally on Vegetasei, only two chapters after I originally said they were going to be. And Bulma had the revelation to use gravity manipulation to help with their training. Who saw that come besides everyone? :P The wording for next chapter is already coming along much easier than this one so hopefully I'll have it out at a more reasonable date, like in a few weeks. No promises though. Anyone who writes knows how even the littlest thing can throw all your intentions out the window.

Hope you all enjoyed. Please feel free to leave a review, I love hearing from you guys.


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